April 26, 2024

Update: Suspect killed, 3 deputies wounded in Kansas firefight

DODGE CITY, Kan. (AP) — A wanted man was killed and three deputies were wounded Monday morning in an exchange of gunfire in western Kansas, authorities say.

The Kansas Bureau of Investigation said in a news release that it started around 9 a.m. when the sheriff’s office in Clark County attempted to stop the suspect. Clark County sits along the state’s border with Oklahoma.

The release said the suspect fled and that deputies pursued him one county to the north. The Ford County Sheriff’s Office and Kansas Highway Patrol joined the pursuit.

The KBI said that gunfire erupted once the vehicle came to a stop in an area of Dodge City that includes a John Deere dealership and a gas station.

The release said the suspect was fatally shot and that a women in the vehicle was critically wounded. Neither of their names was released.

Two deputies from Ford County and one from Clark County also were wounded and were rushed to a Wichita hospital with injuries described as serious. The condition of the third deputy was described as good. A highway patrol trooper was bit by a police dog during the melee but wasn’t hurt badly.

Ford County posted on its website that there was no additional danger to the community.

The Dodge City Police Department put out a notice urging people to avoid the area. It said surrounding roads would be closed for several hours.