Five stories from this date 10 years ago in Wichita. Here’s what happened.

On Feb. 25-26, 2016, a deadly workplace shooting shook the Hesston community, while other news unfolded across the Wichita area. Here’s a look back at what made headlines that day.

• An employee identified by co-workers as Cedric Ford went on a shooting spree at Excel Industries in Hesston, killing three people and wounding 14 others before a Hesston police officer shot and killed him inside the plant less than 30 minutes after the first 911 call.

• Prosecutors filed nine additional charges against North Newton couple Jim and Paige Nachtigal, bringing the total to 12 felony counts each, in connection with the alleged torture and abuse of their three adopted children from Peru — including broken bones and severe malnourishment.

• Bradley Fair announced that Pottery Barn would open an 11,000-square-foot store that fall in a new building at the former Eddie Bauer location, with construction set to begin the following week.

• Gov. Sam Brownback said he would support creating a food sales tax rebate program for low-income Kansans, drawing criticism from Senate Minority Leader Anthony Hensley, who noted the state had eliminated that exact program in 2012 to help pay for income tax cuts Brownback championed.

• Country star Brad Paisley performed his third concert at Intrust Bank Arena to a crowd of about 7,000, pausing during the show to acknowledge the Hesston shootings that had taken place hours earlier.

The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists. The full stories in the links were reported, written and edited entirely by journalists.

This story was originally published February 25, 2026 at 11:20 AM.