Suspect in deputy’s killing had long criminal history across Kansas, Missouri
The man suspected of killing a Wyandotte County sheriff’s deputy has been in and out of prison for years.
According to Kansas Department of Corrections records, Shawn Harris, 38, was released from custody last year, and completed his post-release supervision requirements in December. His criminal history includes several incidents in Kansas and at least one in Missouri.
Currently, the Kansas City, Kansas, man is being held in the Johnson County jail on capital murder charges in the death of Wyandotte County Sheriff’s Deputy Elijah Ming. Harris is scheduled for a court hearing Tuesday afternoon.
Authorities say Harris opened fire on law enforcement officers Saturday afternoon when they responded to a home in the 2600 block of S. 30th Street in Kansas City, Kansas. A woman called 911 requesting police accompany her as she attempted to move out of a residence.
She told dispatchers that when friends tried to help her, a “male subject threatened them with a firearm,” according to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, the agency handling the case.
As Ming and an officer with the Kansas City, Kansas, police department approached the front door, authorities say a man inside the house fired multiple rounds at them. After being hit, Ming was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Convictions in two states
Harris’ felony criminal history goes back more than a decade.
In January 2012, he pled guilty in Wyandotte County to theft of property or services and was later sentenced to 7 months in prison.
The next month, Wyandotte County prosecutors charged Harris with three counts of attempted aggravated assault and use of a deadly weapon. According to media reports, this charge involved a gun inside a Waffle House for property totaling $12.75.
Ultimately, Harris pleaded guilty and a judge sentenced him to a total of 10 months in prison and a year of post release supervision, court records show.
Before that case was completely adjudicated in court, Harris was charged again in May 2012 with crimes in both Kansas and Missouri. In Wyandotte County, prosecutors charged him with aggravated robbery for an incident on May 5.
Four days later, prosecutors in Lafayette County, Missouri said he committed first degree tampering with a motor vehicle, according to an online court database.
In the tampering case, Harris received a seven-year sentence, records show.
For the aggravated robbery case in Wyandotte County, a judge sentenced him to 130 months in a Kansas prison.
This story was originally published July 29, 2025 at 9:26 AM.
