On Tuesday, August 30, a Clay County grand jury charged Joshua Rocha for allegedly killing North Kansas City Police Officer Daniel Vasquez. Officer Vasquez was conducting a traffic stop on Rocha on July 19, when he was shot and killed.

The grand jury charged Rocha with first degree murder and armed criminal action in this case.

Clay County Prosecuting Attorney Daniel White’s office announced Tuesday that “Rocha, after deliberation, caused the death of North Kansas City Officer Daniel Vasquez by shooting him, and that he used a deadly weapon in committing the crime of murder in the first degree.”

Probable cause statements show that after his arrest, Rocha admitted shooting Officer Vasquez because he didn't want to go to jail for the vehicle's expired tags. The documents state that he pulled the rifle into his lap and shot Vasquez out of his car window as he approached the vehicle. Rocha then exited the vehicle and emptied the rest of his gun's magazine at the officer before getting back in his car and driving away.

After leaving the shooting scene, Rocha told investigators he tried to alter his appearance by changing his clothes and shaving off his goatee. He also changed the appearance of his vehicle by spray painting the trunk white and removing the temporary tag.

Rocha is scheduled to appear in court on Thursday, September 1. He remains jailed in the Clay County Detention Center on a $2 million bond.

KPGZ News - Brian Watts contributed to this story