Man, who was wearing body armor, charges officers before being fatally shot, police say

A man, who was wearing body armor and who was getting in and out of a vehicle and driving it up and down the street after officers arrived, was fatally shot Saturday morning in northwest Wichita after he charged at officers, according to Wichita police.

The man died at the scene.

Officers were called at 7:06 a.m. about a man threatening to shoot someone in the 6900 block of Childs Street, which is near 45th Street North and Ridge.

The man “repeatedly entered and exited a vehicle, driving it up and down the street,” said Wichita police spokesperson Andrew Ford. The man was driving up and down the dirt roads in that area, according to Sedgwick County Emergency Communications scanner traffic.

“He’s coming back up to us, revving his engine and spinning his tires,” an officer said over the scanner, according to Wichita police. Another officer, over the scanner, said “he’s got body armor on. He’s partially out the door, foot on the gas.”

Ford, in an email, said officers tried deescalation techniques for over an hour. Around 8:15 a.m., the man exited the vehicle and charged at officers and deputies, Ford said.

Officers opened fire, he said.

Life-saving measures were tried, but the man was pronounced dead at 8:28 a.m.

“At this time, it is unclear if the man was armed when he charged at law enforcement, and this detail will be part of the ongoing investigation,” Ford said in the email.

Ford declined to answer additional questions, including how many officers opened fire, from what agencies, and if a weapon was found near the man.

Officers from the Kansas Highway Patrol, Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office, Maize and Valley all responded to the shooting, Ford said. Wichita police are investigating.

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