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Accidental Discharge Kills Officer During Training

Officer Dan De Kraai

ST. JOSEPH, MO – A St. Joseph policeman was fatally shot Wednesday afternoon while on a break from a training session, the Police Department said.

Officer Dan De Kraai, 35, was hit in the back after another officer’s handgun discharged about 2 p.m. at a closed school that was the site of the training session, according to a written statement from police. De Kraai, who was hired by the department in September 2006, was pronounced dead at Heartland Regional Medical Center.

In a news conference, Police Chief Chris Connally said officers did not carry loaded guns during exercises. The shooting appeared to have occurred during some sort of demonstration, he said. De Kraai and the other officer were longtime friends.

De Kraai was married and had a daughter. Before the Iowa native was hired in St. Joseph, he served in Cameron, Mo., and was an instructor at the police academy at Missouri Western State University. He helped train new recruits in St. Joseph and was an evidence technician for the department.

An investigation is under way, and the other officer has been placed on administrative leave.

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