Multiple Kansas sheriff's deputies shot in officer-involved shooting
FORD COUNTY, KS — An investigation is underway after three sheriff's deputies from two southwest Kansas counties were shot while responding to an incident on Monday.
A Kansas Highway Patrol (KHP) trooper was also injured in the response.
According to a release from the Ford County Sheriff's Office, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) is handling the investigation of the shooting that happened Monday morning in Dodge City, Kan.
Authorities say the preliminary investigation revealed deputies from the Clark County Sheriff's Office came across a blue Toyota pickup driving through Minneola, Kan. The truck matched the description of vehicle connected to a double homicide in Phoenix, Ariz. Deputies tried to pull the car over, but the woman driving the truck with a man in the passenger seat fled.
The pursuit went north on Highway 283 crossing from Clark County into Ford County where Ford County deputies and KHP joined the chase. Authorities say they deployed stop sticks to try to slow the fleeing pickup and a Clark County deputy "used a maneuver to force the truck into the ditch."
The blue Toyota came to a rest east of the intersection of Highway 50 and Road 113 on the northeast side of Dodge City, Kan. That's when officials say gunfire was exchanged.
Two deputies from the Ford County Sheriff's Office were shot. One was taken to a Wichita hospital with serious injuries and was in an intensive care unit as of Monday night. The other was treated for shrapnel injuries as has since been released from an area hospital.
The other deputy shot is from the Clark County Sheriff's Office. Authorities say he was struck twice and is in serious condition.
Further, police say a KHP trooper was bit by a police K-9 during the shooting. They have undergone surgery and are in good condition.
The man who was in the truck, 39-year-old Leroy Malone, was struck by gunfire multiple times and pronounced dead at the scene. The woman who was driving the truck was not identified in the news release. Police say she was hit multiple times and was taken to a Wichita hospital in critical condition.
KBI's investigation is ongoing. No further information will be released at this time, according to the Ford County Sheriff's Office. Once the investigation is complete, its findings will be presented to the to the Ford County Attorney for review.