WyCo sheriff’s deputy shot and killed Saturday afternoon in KCK. What we know
A Wyandotte County deputy was shot and killed while responding to a call Saturday afternoon in Kansas City, Kansas, according to a KCKPD spokesperson.
The officer was identified Saturday night as Elijah Ming, a nearly nine year veteran of the department. Ming was taken to an area hospital by ambulance and later died.
Kansas City, Kansas, Police Chief Karl Oakman said the deputy later identified as Ming was in the 2600 block of S. 30th Street with other law enforcement officers to provide safety while an individual removed items to move out of a house. Then, an individual inside the house confronted Ming and they exchanged gunfire, injuring Ming, according to Oakman.
Officers from both KCKPD and the Wyandotte County Sheriff’s Office then exchanged gunfire with the suspect, Oakman said.
The suspect then barricaded himself inside the home, according to Oakman. He eventually came out around 5 p.m. after a negotiation. He was injured by gunfire, but is in stable condition, Oakman said.
Tactical units from several area police departments were on the way to assist with the call when the suspect was apprehended, according to Oakman.
KBI will investigate all aspects of the shooting, Wyandotte County Sheriff Daniel Soptic said at a press conference Saturday night.
KBI agents were on the scene in the 2600 block of S. 30th Street on Sunday morning to get the investigation underway.
The area in the Argentine neighborhood of KCK is a mostly residential area, blocks away from the KCKPD station and the Maple Hill Cemetery. It’s on the edge of the Turner neighborhood line.
Sebastian Williams, a 32-year-old neighbor, said he heard popping coming from down the street Saturday afternoon when the shooting began and came outside to see the massive response from SWAT and other emergency responders. He said he feels like the neighborhood is less quiet than it once was.
“I’ve lived in Turner my whole life practically, but I’ve lived here in this house for 13 years and (we saw) maybe one bad thing every like 2 years or something like that,” Williams said. “But now it seems like it’s multiple bad things every year, like multiple every year, so it’s gotten worse.”
Another neighbor, Darlene Verser, was coming home from the grocery store when the police response began and was unable to get back in her house across the street from the shooting location.
“Then you’re feeling sorry for the victims and the person that got shot, the officer, too, because the families,” she said. “That somebody’s dad, uncle, son, brother, cousin, whatever the case may be, could be connected to us and we don’t even know it. And so you just feel so despondent because of that.”
On Saturday night, authorities said they would still be gathering evidence in the neighborhood for several more hours. KBI agents, including crime scene units, were at the scene through Sunday morning.
This story was originally published July 26, 2025 at 6:09 PM.
