Update: WPD release images of people they say are involved in Menards shooting

A loss protection officer was shot while trying to stop shoplifters at Menards in northwest Wichita on Monday afternoon, police said.

Wichita officers were called for a shooting at the Menards at 37th North and Maize at around 4:50 p.m., Sgt. Steve Yarberry said.

A Menards loss protection officer had followed two suspected shoplifters out the north entrance of the store, Yarberry said. Police said the employee saw the couple try to steal a home security system.

The store employee got in a struggle with a woman outside, and the man she was with pulled out a handgun and shot the employee once in the abdomen, police said.

The man and woman got in a newer black Mercedes SUV with Montana tags, police said. The man was described as a 5-foot-10 white man of thin build and in his 20s, wearing a three-quarter sleeve shirt and black hat. The woman was described as a 5-foot-5 white or Hispanic woman, 175 pounds and in her 20s, wearing a black crop top and black shorts.

The employee was taken to Via Christi Hospital St. Francis in serious condition and was released later Monday, police said.

Contributing: Nichole Manna of The Eagle

This story was originally published April 30, 2018 at 6:37 PM with the headline "Update: WPD release images of people they say are involved in Menards shooting."