Man shot by Independence police while fleeing arrest gets seven years in prison: prosecutors

A 29-year-old man who was shot in the legs by a police officer in Independence as he was evading arrest in a pickup truck has been sentenced to more than seven years in federal prison, prosecutors said Monday.

Isaiah Fulson Dewberry, of Kansas City, was sentenced in the Western District of Missouri by Judge Greg Kays on a felony conviction of illegal firearm possession. He pleaded guilty to the charge in June 2020.

Prosecutors said Fulson-Dewberry was shot after he tried to strike an Independence police officer with his truck while fleeing arrest on Sept. 1, 2019.

Independence officers were dispatched to the Pepperwood Apartments on a report of prowlers in the area. There they encountered Fulson-Dewberry, who was driving a stolen pickup and allegedly rammed a patrol car while attempting to escape.

Prosecutors said the Independence officer fired 10 rounds at the driver’s side of the truck because he feared for his life. Fulson-Dewberry was struck in his calves and allegedly took police on a high-speed chase through busy intersections.

The pursuit ended after Fulson-Dewberry crashed into a ditch near Interstate 70 and Lee’s Summit Road. He tossed a handgun into the grass near the truck before he was arrested and taken to the hospital for medical treatment, prosecutors said.

Before that arrest, Fulson-Dewberry had earlier felony convictions for methamphetamine possession, motor vehicle burglary, identity theft and other crimes. His status as a convicted felon barred him from legally possessing firearms.