A Missouri businesswoman and mother was killed when a police SUV responding to an emergency slammed into her luxury vehicle, raising questions about the deadly crash.Misty Leslie, 48, died after an Independence Police Department officer driving a 2024 Ford Explorer struck the passenger side of her 2022 Audi SQ5 at an intersection outside Kansas City shortly after 1 a.m.on Oct.
11.The Independence Police Department said in a statement that the officer was traveling west on U.S.Highway 24 with his emergency lights and siren activated when Leslie's northbound Audi entered the intersection.REPEAT OFFENDER SLAYS 2 MISSOURI DEPUTIES BEFORE DYING IN SHOOTOUT, SHERIFF SAYSPolice said early evidence suggests the officer had a green light and Leslie had a red light when the crash occurred.
Both drivers were wearing seat belts.Misty Leslie, left, poses with another person in an undated photo.Leslie, a Missouri mother and businesswoman, was killed in a crash involving a police SUV responding to an emergency Oct.
11, 2026.(Credit: ebw_photography_by_misty_ Instagram)Leslie was taken to a hospital with serious injuries and later died.
The officer was also hospitalized but was not seriously injured.Police have not said how fast either vehicle was traveling or what emergency the officer was responding to.The crash remains under investigation.The collision comes months after Independence police tightened restrictions on high-speed pursuits following years of scrutiny over the department's driving practices.DELAWARE STATE TROOPER KILLED IN DMV SHOOTING INCIDENT, GUNMAN ALSO DEAD WITH NO ACTIVE THREAT: OFFICIALSDuring a March City Council meeting, interim Police Chief Douglas Brinkley said Independence officers conducted 541 pursuits in 2025, compared with 137 by Kansas City police, The Kansas City Star reported.Misty Leslie, left, smiles alongside a friend in an undated photo.
The Missouri businesswoman and mother died following an Oct.11 crash involving an Independence police ...