Derby man shot in shoot-out with cops near Salina booked into jail on attempted murder
A Derby man injured in a shoot-out with cops in Saline County last month has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.
Colt F. Wright, 25, of Derby was booked into the Saline County Jail on Tuesday after he was released from Via Christi Hospital St. Francis in Wichita, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation said in a news release. He was treated at the hospital after he was shot during a Feb. 5 shoot-out with Salina police officers and Saline County sheriff’s deputies.
Law enforcement officials have said that Wright is suspected of an armed carjacking before leading cops on a chase during which he allegedly shot at police. More gunfire was exchanged after the stolen vehicle wrecked.
Wright was arrested on suspicion of seven counts of attempted capital murder, aggravated battery against a law enforcement officer, aggravated robbery, two counts of aggravated assault, criminal damage to property and fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer, the KBI said.
Investigators determined that Wright allegedly stole a 2010 Jeep Wrangler at gunpoint at the Kwik Shop convenience store near I-135 and Schilling Road at around 5:15 p.m. on Feb. 5, the KBI and Salina Police Department have said. The car then rammed a Salina police officer’s vehicle about a mile north of the gas station.
“Prior to initiating a vehicle stop, the suspect backed up and rammed our officer,” Salina police said in a Facebook post. “... This resulted in the police vehicle being disabled and the suspect fled the scene in the stolen vehicle. The officer was not injured.”
The stolen Jeep sped away from the traffic stop, and police officers and sheriff’s deputies began a pursuit. The driver fired multiple shots at officers during the chase, law enforcement said
One deputy’s face was injured when he was struck by debris after a bullet hit his patrol vehicle during the pursuit, the KBI said. Salina police said the deputy was treated for minor injuries and released from Salina Regional Hospital the night of the shooting.
About 45 minutes after the carjacking was reported — and about 30 minutes after ramming the police vehicle — the stolen Jeep crashed about 5 miles east of Salina, police said.
Police said the suspect got out of the vehicle with a handgun, then a deputy and officer shot the suspect. The KBI said the suspect exchanged gunfire with police after the wreck, and he was struck by gunfire. No law enforcement officers were hit by bullets.
Wright was first hospitalized in Salina, where he underwent surgery, before he was taken to Wichita.
The KBI investigated the shooting. The Kansas Attorney General’s Office is expected to prosecute the case, the KBI said.
This story was originally published March 20, 2019 at 3:27 PM with the headline "Derby man shot in shoot-out with cops near Salina booked into jail on attempted murder."