A 48-year-old businesswoman and single mother died after an Independence, Missouri police SUV responding to an emergency collided with her car at an intersection just outside Kansas City, reviving concerns about a department already under scrutiny for its driving practices.
Misty Leslie was killed when an Independence Police Department officer driving a 2024 Ford Explorer struck the passenger side of her 2022 Audi SQ5 shortly after 1 a.m. on Oct. 11, according to the department. Both drivers were wearing seat belts.
Police said the officer was heading west on U.S. Highway 24 with emergency lights and siren on when Leslie’s northbound Audi entered the intersection. Early evidence indicates the officer had a green light and Leslie had a red light, police said. Leslie was taken to a hospital with serious injuries and later died; the officer was also hospitalized but was not seriously hurt.
Police have not disclosed how fast either vehicle was moving or what emergency the officer was responding to. The crash remains under investigation, and the officer was not engaged in a pursuit at the time.
A Department With a Pursuit Problem
The crash lands just months after Independence tightened its policy on high-speed pursuits following years of criticism over how often, and how aggressively, its officers chase suspects.
Interim Police Chief Douglas Brinkley told a March City Council meeting that Independence officers conducted 541 pursuits in 2025, compared with 137 for Kansas City police, according to reporting by The Kansas City Star.
