Salina police shoot man with knife found in home where grandma was stabbed to death

Two Salina police officers fatally shot a man holding a knife in the same house where his grandmother was stabbed to death.

The Kansas Bureau of Investigation said in a news release that agents were called Wednesday by the Salina Police Department to an officer-involved shooting.

Two officers had shot Jeremy Connolly, 28, KBI spokeswoman Melissa Underwood said. Connolly was taken to a hospital with gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead.

At the home where Connolly was shot, paramedics found that Linda Kromer, 71, had been stabbed to death. Connolly was Kromer’s step-grandson, the KBI said.

Investigators determined Salina police were called to a house at 2092 Harold Ave. after a 911 caller said they thought someone had been hurt or killed inside. When officers arrived, they saw what they believed to be blood on the porch. They then went into the house and found Kromer’s body.

The officers heard noises in the basement, went downstairs and found Connolly barricaded in a basement bedroom, the KBI said. He was armed with a large knife. After partially opening the door, officers used pepper spray and commanded him to drop the weapon.

When Connolly advanced toward the officers with the knife in his hand, two police officers opened fire, the KBI said. Three other officers were in the basement at the time of the shooting. None were injured during the incident.

The KBI said the residence where the shooting took place was Connolly’s home and Kromer lived next door.

The investigation is ongoing and the case will be presented to the Saline County attorney’s office.

This story was originally published August 28, 2019 at 9:36 PM.