Details remain minimal more than a month after a Johnson County Sheriff’s deputy shot and killed a stabbing suspect at the Panasonic EV battery plant in De Soto.
Here’s what we know so far about the incident and the status of the investigation.
Someone was allegedly stabbed, and a deputy opened fire on the suspect, killing him
On Dec. 12, 2025, deputies were called to the scene at 10301 Astra Parkway around 11 a.m., finding one victim with several stab wounds. The deputies located the suspect — Jonathan Lunceford, 55, of Blue Springs, Missouri — and an officer-involved shooting occurred, Sheriff Byron Roberson said in a statement Dec. 12.
Deputies “performed life-saving efforts on the suspect,” Roberson added, but Johnson County Med-Act paramedics pronounced the suspect dead at 11:25 a.m.
Who is handling the investigation?
The Johnson County Officer Involved Critical Incident Investigations Team has taken over the investigation, Roberson said, with Olathe Police as the lead agency.
“Due to the investigation, there will be no more information shared regarding the incident,” Olathe Police Sergeant John Moncayo said in an email Dec. 17. “Any additional questions should be directed to the Johnson County District Attorney’s Office.”
“Our office has no comment at this time,” Melody Webb, Public Information Officer for the Johnson County District Attorney’s Office, said in an email Jan. 22.
The Kansas Bureau of Investigation is also assisting with the investigation.
The sheriff’s office won’t release body cam footage
The deputy is on paid administrative leave and the investigation is ongoing, said Kristen Boxman, Public Communications Officer for the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office. No timeline on when the investigation will be concluded has been determined.
“The Johnson County Sheriff’s Office will not release video during an investigation,” Boxman said in an email Jan. 15. “Any discussion regarding the release of footage will occur in conjunction with the District Attorney after the review is complete.”
Bernie Rhodes, a Kansas City-based attorney, said the Sheriff’s Office could share the footage legally without impeding the investigation. Nothing in the law prohibits the release of the body camera footage.
“They didn’t say they can’t [release the footage],” Rhodes said. “They’re just not going to.”
Body camera footage can be crucial to building credibility, he added. The longer the Sheriff’s Office holds onto the footage, the more credibility is broken down, Rhodes said.
Investigations like this can take a few months. For instance, in Lenexa last year, the District Attorney Steve Howe announced in October that he won’t charge two police officers for fatally shooting a man from Grandview, Missouri, five months earlier.
“In the typical timeline, I would expect the DA’s Office to issue a statement and probably hold a press conference in another month or two, announcing the results of their investigation,” Rhodes said, based on his experience. “At that, they may show part of the video or they may tell you what’s on the video and not show it. They typically don’t release the whole thing.”
What’s happening at the Panasonic plant now
Roughly 1,200 employees currently work at the plant on electric vehicle battery production. The plant opened in July, roughly three years after first breaking ground on a portion of the former Sunflower Army Ammunition Plant in western Johnson County.
“We refer all questions regarding the investigation to law enforcement,” a Spokesperson for Panasonic told The Post. “As always, counseling services are available to all Panasonic employees as part of our benefits package.”
