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Shawnee, Merriam to close part of Johnson Drive Thursday to make way for Dep. Patrick Rohrer funeral procession

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A section of Johnson Drive in Shawnee will be closed Thursday for a funeral procession for the two Wyandotte County deputies who were killed in the line of duty during an inmate transfer.

Services for Deputies Patrick Rohrer and Theresa King begin at 9 a.m. Thursday, June 21, at Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kan. He and King were killed after a shooting last Friday near the Wyandotte County Courthouse.

Rohrer is a Shawnee Mission area who worked at the Merriam Police Department in 2012 and has extended family living in Merriam. Rohrer graduated from SM Northwest in 2001. During his time in high school, he developed a passion for the theatre department, performing in the high school musical all four years. He was also a letterman on the Cougars’ swim team.

He was also a dedicated scout, starting during his time as an elementary student at Mill Creek. He earned the rank of Eagle Scout in 1998 as a member of Troop 401 out of Salem Lutheran Church in Lenexa.

Rohrer attended K-State University, graduating in 2006, and later pursued a degree in criminal justice at Johnson County Community College.

After the public services in KCK, Shawnee will shut down Johnson Drive in both directions from Merriam Drive west to Nieman Road to allow room for the funeral procession to head toward Amos Funeral Home. The funeral services at Amos are private. The Johnson Drive closure will likely occur between 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. and is expected to last up to an hour, with about 500 vehicles participating in the procession.

The procession will exit south I-35 onto Antioch Road and head north to West 50th Terrace, west to Merriam Drive, south on Merriam Drive, and west on Johnson Drive to Amos Funeral Home in Shawnee. Construction on westbound Johnson Drive in Merriam from Turkey Creek Bridge through west city limits will make the route inaccessible to through traffic during the procession.

The Shawnee Fire Department plans to hang a large American flag from one of its ladder trucks near the funeral home.

All local Price Choppers are collecting donations to help the families of the deputies through Sunday, June 24, according to the City of Shawnee. A Shawnee Mission Northwest classmate started a GoFundMe campaign for Rohrer.

About the author

Leah Wankum
Leah Wankum

Hi there! I’m Leah Wankum, and I’m the Post’s Deputy Editor. I’m thrilled to call Johnson County home, and I’m deeply committed to the Post’s philosophy that an informed community is a strong community.

I’m a native of mid-Missouri, and attended high school in Jefferson City before going on to the University of Central Missouri, where I earned a master’s degree in mass communication.

Prior to joining the Post as a reporter in 2018, I was the editor of the Richmond News in Ray County, Missouri. I’ve also written for several publications, including the Sedalia Democrat and KC Magazine.

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