Derby officer awarded Medal of Valor for pursuit, arrest of robbery suspect (+video)

Derby police Officer Larry Hampton said he was too focused on oncoming traffic to realize he was being shot at.

Hampton said the SUV he was following last summer – at nearly 90 mph – looked as if it would cross into oncoming traffic. He worried about the safety of the other drivers on the highway, he said.

Hampton’s disregard for his own safety helped bring the chase to an abrupt stop, leading to the arrest of the suspect. His bravery in the face of danger led to his receipt of the Medal of Valor from the Derby Police Department last month.

“Officer Hampton being able to make the arrest – as quickly as he did – helped put this community back at ease,” Derby police Chief Robert Lee said.

But Hampton insists it was the heroics of Julie Dombo, a 61-year-old retired guidance counselor, that made the arrest possible. Dombo, who was shot during a robbery, refused to comply with the robber’s demands, and police think that disrupted his plan and ultimately led to his capture.

Hampton, a 17-year veteran of the department, was one of the first officers to respond to an Aug. 11 armed robbery and shooting at an AT&T store at Rock Road and Madison Avenue in Derby.

Police said James Michael Phillips, 26, shot Dombo, the only customer in the store, multiple times – including in her right lung and forearm – as he attempted to rob the store. He then fled.

Hampton, while patrolling nearby, saw an SUV matching the description of the suspect’s vehicle and followed it. As he did so, Hampton said, the driver of the SUV turned into a parking lot to avoid an intersection with a green light.

“He could have just made a right turn,” Hampton said.

He said he may not have continued to follow the SUV had it not made the odd turn into a private lot.

“That’s what alerted me to him,” he said.

Hampton flipped on his lights, and the vehicle accelerated.

Police said Hampton came under fire as he pursued the SUV north on K-15 toward Wichita. According to authorities, Phillips fired three times at Hampton with a handgun. Hampton did not return fire and was not injured.

Hampton chased the SUV into Wichita, where Wichita police had established a roadblock. To avoid a spike-strip, authorities said, Phillips swerved and crashed into a Wichita police vehicle.

Phillips was arrested and later charged with multiple felonies, including attempted capital murder, attempted first-degree murder and attempted aggravated robbery.

“Police officers are never given enough credit for the job they do on a daily basis,” John and Julie Dombo said in a statement. “In this case, Officer Hampton went above and beyond the call of duty and I owe him my personal gratitude.”

According to Dombo’s GoFundMe webpage, she refused to let the suspect force her and the store’s employees into a back room for fear they would “never leave it alive.” That was when Dombo was shot, authorities said.

“If she hadn’t put him into a panic,” Hampton said, “if she had done what he wanted her to do, he wouldn’t have gone the long way out of town.”

Lee agreed that Dombo’s actions probably rattled the suspect and directly led to the erratic driving that tipped off Hampton.

“It didn’t go as (the suspect) planned inside the store,” Lee said. “That’s probably what led him to be more panicked and more obvious on his way out of town.”

Hampton said he has not been in touch with Dombo and had never met her before that day. He said from what he has seen in interviews, she’s an inspiration.

“That’s one tough lady,” Hampton said. “She’s my hero.”

Dombo underwent a quadruple amputation – removal of her hands and feet – due to complications from her injuries. According to her GoFundMe page, she is making progress in her recovery and will soon begin outpatient physical and occupational therapy “to continue working towards greater independence in her new normal.”

Phillips’ trial is scheduled for Feb. 29, said Dan Dillon, a spokesman for the district attorney’s office. He is being held at the Sedgwick County Jail on a $3 million bond.

This story was originally published January 10, 2016 at 6:20 PM with the headline "Derby officer awarded Medal of Valor for pursuit, arrest of robbery suspect (+video)."