Hays Police Officer Killed in Weekend Shooting

Image courtesy Canva

The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) is investigating a Sunday morning shooting in Hays that left a Hays Police Department (HPD) officer dead.

Late Saturday, Sept. 27, just before midnight, HPD received a 911 call from a woman who had escaped a domestic violence incident at a home. She reported that her significant other had driven his truck into her vehicle as she tried to flee. She ran to a nearby home to seek help.

Preliminary reports indicate that around 1:55 a.m. on Sept. 28, HPD officers and a Kansas Highway Patrol trooper set up a perimeter near the suspect’s residence. A single shot from inside the home struck an HPD officer. First responders performed life-saving measures, and the officer was airlifted to a regional hospital but died from his injuries shortly after 4 a.m.

HPD’s Special Situation Response Team, the KHP Special Response Team, and the KBI High Risk Warrant Team responded to the barricade. Negotiations were conducted, and gas munitions, window-breaking projectiles, and a surveillance drone were used, with no officers firing their weapons.

At approximately 6:15 a.m., tactical teams entered the home and found the suspect deceased from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.

The investigation is ongoing.

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