Stolen handgun suspect found dead after standoff in Hays
Police deployed an armored vehicle and drones before discovering the barricaded man deceased from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
HAYS, Kan. — A man who stole a handgun from a local gun shop died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound Friday inside a residential garage, ending a standoff that prompted a shelter-in-place order and a multi-agency law enforcement response.
The incident began around 12:05 p.m. when the Hays Police Department received a report of the theft. According to police, the suspect had blood on his hands when he fled the scene. Officers traced the suspect's vehicle to a home in the 200 block of W. 24th St., near Fort Street, where they cordoned off the area and closed nearby roads. Authorities issued a shelter-in-place order for the surrounding neighborhood; it was not immediately clear which agency issued the directive.
Believing the man was experiencing a mental health crisis, police brought in negotiators and the High Plains Mental Health Center Mobile Crisis Unit. After multiple unsuccessful attempts to reach the barricaded suspect by phone, officers obtained a search warrant and used a Kansas Bureau of Investigation armored vehicle to breach the door.
Authorities deployed drones operated by the Kansas Highway Patrol and the KBI inside the home and found the man deceased in the garage, according to Police Chief Don Scheibler. The Ellis County Coroner is assisting in the ongoing investigation.
Anyone struggling with thoughts of suicide or emotional distress can call or text the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988 for free, confidential support 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
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