KS - July 30, 2025
Wichita teen suffers mental break, suicide by cop; Charges filed in Deputy shooting; Gov. Kelly withdraws from NGA; Salina log jam update; State SNAP Benefits changes
Additional Details Released: Wichita Teen Killed in Shooting with Police
Kansas City Man Charged With Capital Murder in Deputy's Shooting Death
Kelly withdraws from the National Governors Association
Salina grants bid for log jam removal
Kansas Faces $56M in Added SNAP Costs as Federal Changes Take Effect
Newsletter sponsor
1. Additional Details Released: Wichita teen intended suicide by police in fatal shooting, sheriff says
WICHITA, Kan. — A 19-year-old Wichita man who was fatally shot by police outside a patrol station last week suffered from mental health issues and intended to provoke officers into shooting him, the Sedgwick County Sheriff's Office said Tuesday. Nehemiah Flemming was killed July 24 outside the Wichita Police Department's Patrol North substation near 21st and Hillside after he pulled a handgun and pointed it at an officer.
The incident began at 6:32 a.m. as an officer was ending his shift when Flemming approached and asked about Black males carrying firearms. Col. Brian White said Flemming pulled a black handgun from his pocket, placed it on a patrol vehicle's hood, then grabbed it and pointed it at the officer when the officer reached for the weapon. A second officer arriving for his shift saw Flemming pointing the gun and fired three rounds, while a third officer who heard the commotion fired two additional rounds.
Flemming suffered a single gunshot wound and died at a local hospital. He never fired his weapon, which investigators found had one round chambered and six in the magazine. Only two seconds passed between when Flemming produced the handgun and when he aimed it at the officer, White said during a Tuesday briefing.
The Sedgwick County Sheriff's Office assumed responsibility for investigating the shooting in accordance with Wichita Police Department policy. White said investigators learned through their investigation that Flemming had revealed to others his intention to have police shoot him. The case will be submitted to the district attorney's office for review.
KAKE
2. Kansas City Man Charged With Capital Murder in Deputy's Shooting Death
Shawn Harris, 38, has been charged with capital murder in the fatal shooting of Wyandotte County Sheriff's Deputy Elijah Ming during a Saturday afternoon response to a domestic call in Kansas City, Kansas. The Kansas Bureau of Investigation said Harris opened fire on Ming and a Kansas City, Kansas, police officer as they approached the front door of a home in the 2600 block of South 30th Street around 3:45 p.m. July 26, striking and fatally wounding the deputy while the officer was uninjured.
Harris barricaded himself inside the home for about an hour, exchanging gunfire with multiple law enforcement officers before surrendering to negotiators around 5 p.m. He was wounded during the standoff, treated at a hospital and released the following day before being arrested and booked into Johnson County Jail on charges of capital murder of a law enforcement officer and felon in possession of a firearm.
KCTV5
3. Kelly withdraws from the National Governors Association
WASHINGTON — Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly are withdrawing from the National Governors Association over what they describe as the bipartisan organization's failure to defend states' rights and its silence on Trump administration policies affecting state operations. Kelly, who chairs the Democratic Governors Association, will stop paying dues and end all participation in NGA activities at month's end, while Walz plans to cut ties and cease dues payments next year.
The departures reflect growing frustration among Democratic governors who say the NGA has abandoned its traditional mission of advocating for state interests through bipartisan cooperation. Sources familiar with the governors' decisions criticized the organization's silence on recent federal funding cuts and President Donald Trump's deployment of National Guard troops to Los Angeles, calling it a failure to speak out on federal overreach. Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, the incoming NGA vice chairman, acknowledged the concerns and pledged to address them, while incoming Republican chairman Kevin Stitt of Oklahoma urged against abandoning the collaborative platform.
ABC News
4. City of Salina approves bid for log jam removal
SALINA, Kan. - The Salina City Commission approved a $452,351 contract with Diehl Enterprises Inc. to remove a massive log jam from the Smoky Hill River at Bill Burke Park, despite ongoing concerns from residents about environmental impact and debris disposal methods.
The project will remove an estimated 11,400 cubic yards of material from a site measuring 110 feet wide, 350 feet long and 8 feet deep. City officials plan to begin work in mid-August when river conditions are expected to be drier, with the current flow at under 500 cubic feet per second. The commission retained options to terminate the contract if unforeseen circumstances arise, and the project requires final permits from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Kansas Department of Agriculture before proceeding.
KWCH
5. Kansas Faces $56M in Added SNAP Costs as Federal Changes Take Effect
Kansas could face more than $50 million in additional costs to operate its food assistance program after Congress approved changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program that shift expenses to states and impose stricter work requirements. Gov. Laura Kelly said the state will pay 75% of administrative costs instead of half, adding $15 million annually, while expanded work requirements for recipients aged 55-64 and parents with older children will require hiring 40 new employees to handle increased reporting.
The changes also penalize states with payment error rates above 6%, potentially costing Kansas an additional $41 million annually if its current 10% error rate persists when penalties take effect in 2028. Food bank officials warn the cuts could worsen hunger among Kansas' 180,000 SNAP recipients, with Harvesters CEO Stephen Davis noting his organization provides one meal for every nine meals SNAP provides and lacks capacity to fill the gap if benefits are reduced.
Kansas News Serice
Sources
- https://www.kake.com/home/wichita-teen-suffered-mental-health-issues-intended-to-have-police-shoot-him-sheriffs-office/article_e362e2db-b0e2-4113-8e2b-eabb2d4d4fe7.html
- www.kctv5.com/2025/07/29/prosecutor-announces-murder-charge-shooting-death-wyandotte-county-deputy/
- abcnews.go.com/Politics/govs-walz-kelly-leave-national-governors-association-citing/story?id=124082251
- https://www.ksn.com/news/state-regional/salina-votes-to-unjam-log-jam-from-smoky-hill-river/
- www.kcur.org/politics-elections-and-government/2025-07-29/kansas-snap-funding-harvesters-food-banks
Sign up for local news delivered to your inbox in:
Many more cities coming soon!
Sponsors (click me!)
SUBSCRIBE TO GET THE CITIZEN JOURNAL IN YOUR INBOX - FREE!
subscribe/unsubscribe to city emails, subscribe to app notifications, get the app
Contact: greg@citizenjournal.us
