The man who built the rural Independence home where eviction papers were served Thursday afternoon, and a deadly shooting occurred, had recently lost the property over unpaid taxes.

As civil process server Drexel Mack attempted to serve the papers, a man at the home opened fire, authorities said. Three Independence police officers who arrived to help were also shot, one fatally.

Mack, 42, and Officer Cody Allen, 35, died at an Independence hospital. The two other officers were wounded but are expected to make full recoveries, police said.

Jackson County property records show the person who purchased the home and property — valued in 2023 at $675,500 — had just paid back taxes on it last week. The new owner wrote a personal check for $18,543 to cover taxes from 2022 and 2023.

Mack arrived at the home in the 1110 block of North Elsea Smith Road shortly after 1 p.m. Thursday. Independence police said that he was shot, leaving him wounded outside the home.

Authorities have not released the name of the suspect, who was taken into custody and transported to an area hospital. Independence Police Chief Adam Dustman on Thursday would not discuss the suspect’s injuries or any details about what happened at the home. It was unclear Friday morning whether the man arrested in connection to the shootings was the former homeowner.

Jackson County property records show the man who recently lost the home bought the 9-acre property in 2005. The three-bedroom house — which is 2,419 square feet — was built the same year, records indicate.

Court and property records also show that man has had financial troubles for years, filing bankruptcy in 1992 and again in 2004. In 2012, the Missouri Department of Revenue filed a tax lien on him, and a judgment was entered for $12,628.

His wages were garnished from GSM Corp., and the judgment was satisfied in 2016.

Records show the man also owed back taxes from 2019 through 2023 of $1,150 for a livestock trailer, two utility trailers, a pickup, an SUV and two horse trailers.

In the summer of 2023, a roofing company issued a real estate levy against the property for $32,155.34.

Records show the new owner bought the property on Aug. 14, 2023, for $260,000 in a delinquent tax sale. The sale was confirmed on Nov. 20. On Feb. 22, records show the new owner paid the $18,543 in back taxes.

Two law enforcement communities in Jackson County are struggling with the loss of Allen and Mack.

Officer Allen “always had a smile” on his face, Dustman said.

“He was the guy that when you went out on a call he would be there and he would defuse things in a moment’s notice,” Dustman said Thursday. “He was right there to back you up.”

Presiding Jackson County Circuit Court Judge Jalilah Otto said in a release Thursday evening that the impact of the loss would linger.

“We are simply devastated that someone who is doing their job on behalf of the Court could be shot and killed,” Otto said. “We send our sincere condolences to the family of Mr. Mack, and the families of the Independence Police Department officers who also suffered tragedies today.”