Fatally shot WyCo deputy’s mom died weeks before he did. ‘Loved his family so much’

Elijah Ming, the nine-year veteran deputy at the Wyandotte County Sheriff’s Office who was shot and killed Saturday afternoon while on duty, was a baseball player in college and was described as a caring and uplifting person.

He was 34 years old, according to his college baseball profile.

LaShauna Kempel was Ming’s host mom during the summer of 2011, when he lived in Hutchinson, Kansas, to pitch for the Hutchinson Monarchs. The following year, Kempel and her son visited Ming in Kansas City and had been in touch with him on and off for years.

It was Kempel’s first year as a host mom, and she remembers Ming as someone with an unforgettable smile who always tried to build everyone up.

“He loved his family so much,” Kempel said in a statement on Sunday. “My life will forever be changed because of Elijah Ming and his love for others.”

Ming played baseball while he was in high school at F.L. Schlagle in KCK and through college at Fort Scott Community College where he had a 4.50 ERA and helped his team to a 42-18 record. He then continued playing at Wayne State College, according to his profile on the Wayne State College website.

Elijah Ming is the second recent tragedy in the family. His mother, Sonji Ming, died just less than two weeks before, according to a Facebook post from her husband on July 15.

The KCK shooting

Ming was responding to a call from someone asking for protection while moving out of a home in the 2600 block of S. 30th Street in the Argentine neighborhood of KCK on Saturday afternoon.

He was providing safety when a man from inside the house confronted him, and the two exchanged gunfire, injuring Ming, according to Kansas City, Kansas, Police Chief Karl Oakman.

Ming was transported to an area hospital by ambulance, where he later died from his injuries.

Officers from Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department and the Wyandotte County Sheriff’s Office also exchanged gunfire with the suspect, who then barricaded himself inside the home but eventually came out around 5 p.m. after a negotiation. The suspect was injured by gunfire, but is in stable condition and was taken into custody.

KBI will investigate all aspects of the shooting, Wyandotte County Sheriff Daniel Soptic said at a press conference Saturday night.