Deputies shoot, kill 1 after stabbing at Panasonic plant in De Soto. What we know
Johnson County Sheriff’s officers confirmed reports of a shooting and a stabbing Friday at the Panasonic Energy plant in De Soto, where one person was killed and another is hospitalized.
Just before 11 a.m., deputies responded to a report of a stabbing at the facility at 10301 Astra Parkway, which ended in a shooting with deputies, Sheriff Byron Roberson told a group of reporters at the facility.
Deputies found one victim with multiple stab wounds when they arrived on scene. Responding officers shot the suspect, Roberson said.
Deputies attempted to save the suspect, Roberson said, but paramedics eventually pronounced the person dead at 11:25 a.m. The stabbing victim is in critical condition at a local hospital, he said.
Roberson declined to supply information on the victim, because their next of kin has not yet been notified. He also could not speak to what caused the incident. No deputies or officers were injured in the incident, to which Johnson County Park Police also responded. The Kansas Bureau of Investigation is also assisting in the investigation, Roberson said.
Roberson said he did not have information about what led to the stabbing. The plant was evacuated at one point, he said.
Olathe police will be the lead agency on the investigation, as the Johnson County Officer Involved Critical Incident Investigations Team also investigates.
In a statement Friday afternoon, a Panasonic spokesperson had earlier said they were aware of the incident.
“We are aware of the law-enforcement involved incident at the De Soto, KS, facility,” the statement said. “There was not an active shooter, and we are working closely with the appropriate authorities. We have no additional details to share at this time.”
In a statement, De Soto Mayor Rick Walker said the city is “saddened” to learn about the incident.
“While details are still limited and the investigation is ongoing, the situation is deeply unsettling, and our condolences go out to the employees, their families, and everyone affected,” Walker said.
A former employee who worked at the Panasonic until mid-November told a Star reporter he had received an emergency alert text notification from Panasonic at 12:07 p.m.
“I got an alert from their system that said there was an active shooting and to take cover, and to wait for further news to get out of the building,” said the former employee, who asked not to be named so he could share information without getting his friends who still work at the plant in trouble.
The former employee said that friends at the plant told him a man stabbed another man, and was then shot by law enforcement.
Construction of the plant, which just opened in mid-July, began in 2022 on 300 acres in the small city located in western Johnson County. The $4 billion project was expected to create thousands of jobs for the area.
Incentives from state, county and local governments to bring the project into De Soto totaled more than $1 billion, including an $829 million incentive package from the state and $200 million in local property tax breaks from De Soto.
This story was originally published December 12, 2025 at 1:29 PM.
