This afternoon deputies received a tip from a citizen that a 55 year old white male with a felony warrant was going to be at a storage unit facility located at 3360 S. Hydraulic. Around 12:53 pm, two Sedgwick County Sheriff’s deputies arrived at the storage unit facility and observed the suspect standing at the rear of a maroon Ford Fusion parked in front of a storage unit. The suspect fled on foot to the driver’s seat of the Ford Fusion. The deputy gave several commands to the suspect to stop. The suspect did not comply with the commands. The suspect retrieved what the deputy believed to be a pistol and pointed it at the deputy.
Fearing for his life and life of the other deputy, the deputy fired several rounds striking the suspect. The man was pronounced dead at the scene, at 1:00 pm.
The body was transported to the Sedgwick County Regional Forensic Science Center where an autopsy is currently being conducted to determine the exact cause of death.
Events of this nature escalate quickly. From the time the deputy got out of his car to the time the shots were fired was less than a minute.
After the crime scene was processed, an air soft pistol that closely resembles a firearm was recovered near the suspect.
The KBI, Sedgwick County District Attorney’s Office, and the Professional Standards Unit of the Sheriff’s Office were all notified. The KBI is assisting with the case.
No injuries were reported by the deputies involved. The deputy who fired the shots is 40 years old and has been a deputy with the sheriff’s office for 18 years. The other deputy is 50 years old and has been a deputy with the sheriff’s office for 20 years.
It is unfortunate anytime someone is injured or killed in a use of force event. Whenever an incident such as this occurs we conduct a thorough investigation to determine if there were any violations of law or our policy.
Upon the completion of the criminal investigation, the case will be presented to the District Attorney’s Office for review.