Sheriff’s Office IDs victim of Sunday’s fatal EF-2 tornado in Sedgwick County
The man who died early Sunday morning after a tornado touched down in northern Sedgwick County has been identified as 64-year-old Ricky Schale, the sheriff’s office confirmed Monday.
Schale was found dead near his home in the 1500 block of East 125th Street North around 2:15 a.m. Sunday morning after a EF-2 tornado had blown his home off from its foundation.
After a utility worker in the area reported the damage, first responders found 64-year-old Schale while searching through scattered debris. He was pronounced dead at the scene, and the cause of his death has been determined to be storm-related, a press release from the sheriff’s office read.
The National Weather Service said the tornado touched down for only two minutes, from 1:14 a.m. to 1:16 a.m., near his home. The tornado saw peak wind speeds of up to 135 mph with a 0.11 mile path length.
Family and neighbors spent Sunday and Monday clearing debris and salvaging what was left of Schale’s belongings.
