Mo. Man Who Was Getting Evicted Accused of Killing Police Officer and Court Process Server

Larry D. Acree has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder in addition to other charges

A Missouri man is facing murder charges after authorities allege he fatally shot a police officer and court process server and wounded two others while they were issuing him with an eviction notice.

Larry D. Acree has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder, first-degree assault for wounding a police officer and three additional counts of armed criminal action, Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker announced in a press release shared on Friday.

A total of four people were shot in the alleged Feb. 29 incident, including three officers from the Independence Police Department and a Jackson County Circuit Court process server, authorities confirmed to ABC News, KCUR and The Kansas City Star.

The fatal victims have been identified by the Independence Police Department as Officer Cody Allen, 35, and court employee Drexel Mack, 42, The Kansas City Star reported.

According to a redacted probable cause affidavit reviewed by PEOPLE, Mack, along with two other officials arrived at the Independence, Mo., home on Feb. 29 to evict Acree, who had lost the home due to unpaid taxes. A padlock was removed from the gated driveway, then they knocked on the front door and announced their presence.

After receiving no response, the property maintenance contractor drilled out the lock on the front door, the affidavit states. Mack and another official entered the home, where they were met with gunfire. “[Mack] was struck by the gunfire and fell onto the floor immediately inside the front door of the residence,” authorities alleged, per the affidavit.

As the other official went to get help, police from the Independence Police Department responded to the scene, according to the affidavit. Three police officers, including Allen, walked into the house to find Mack when more gunshots rang out inside the house.

Both Mack and Allen were pronounced dead at a local hospital, authorities said. The other two police officers who were wounded in the shooting are expected to recover.

Acree was taken into custody once more police officers arrived on the scene and returned fire, authorities said.

According to the affidavit, Mack posted a “notice to vacate” in a conspicuous place on the property on Feb. 23. The notice was a result of a request for a “writ of possession,” which was issued on Feb. 16, with a court-issued completion date of “on or before March 2, 2024.”

The Kansas City Star and ABC News reported that the eviction process involving Acree began on Feb. 9, 2023.

“This is a hard day,” Baker said at a press conference on Friday, per KCUR. “I think we’d all just like to roll back the clock a few hours to see if any other fate could have been met.”

A GoFundMe campaign has been created to help support Mack’s son, fiance and other loved ones. In addition, the Independence Police Department is selling t-shirts, with proceeds benefiting Allen's family.

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Acree is being held on $2 million bond, KCUR and ABC News reported. It’s unclear if he has entered a plea or retained an attorney to speak on his behalf.

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