Wichita police chief says homeless man’s killing not part of larger pattern

Two recent attacks on homeless people aren’t part of a larger pattern of violence against homeless people in the city, according to Wichita Police Chief Gordon Ramsay.

Ramsay’s reassurance to the City Council came after two separate attacks in downtown Wichita left the community on edge and police looking for leads.

“I’ve been pretty disturbed with what seems to be, at least the increase in reporting, on violence against our homeless population,” Mayor Brandon Whipple told the chief at the City Council’s workshop session on Tuesday.

On Feb. 10 in an area planned for a massive redevelopment at Douglas and McLean, a jogger found the body of Bernard Woodard, a 59-year-old homeless man. Police said he appeared to have been beaten. No further details have been released, and no arrests have been made.

Woodard was a longtime volunteer at Breakthrough Episcopal Social Services, where he helped other Wichitans experiencing homelessness. Police have not assigned a motive to the killer.

The second attack, a week later, was caught on video and streamed online through the Snapchat app. The video was recorded near the highly-recognizable Keeper of the Plains bridge about one-half mile north of where Woodard’s body was found.

In the video, a group of teen girls can be seen harassing a homeless man and throwing objects at him, striking him near his head. No charges have been filed in that case.

“My understanding is that (the killing of Woodard) was exceptionally heinous,” Whipple said. “And then fast forwarding to the last week where we saw a video of a homeless person who was attacked by a group. ... I just want to ask are these being reported more, or are we seeing a rise in attacks on our homeless population?”

Ramsay said the Wichita Police Department is “equally disturbed” by those attacks but that violence against Wichita’s homeless population is not on the rise.

“While they’re very concerning, I cannot think of similar incidents in the last couple years,” he said. “So it appears to be, you know, a very sad couple of incidents. But we can’t, I can’t, point to any pattern or continuation of violence against homeless people.”

The Wichita Police Department is offering an $800 reward for information that helps catch Woodard’s killer or killers. Unlike most rewards offered in criminal case, the reward for Bernard’s killing was initiated directly by the homicide unit, Ramsay said.

“In this case they feel that, you know, as I mentioned, we solve crime when people tell us something, and that was aimed at the homeless community — maybe someone who knew something, heard something, encouraging people to come forward to solve that very disturbing crime,” Ramsay said.

That reward may increase as more community members become concerned about the killing, City Council member Jeff Blubaugh said.

“I’ve actually seen someone say they wanted to contribute another $800,” he said.

Ramsay said catching Woodard’s killer could hinge on someone stepping forward, and the reward could help.

“We’ve been working diligently on trying to get some solid leads on both cases,” Ramsay said. “And we will continue. But ultimately we need people to come forward with information.”

There have been 11 homicides in Wichita this year. Of those killings, so far five — 45.5% — have resulted in criminal charges.

Wichita Police Department’s homicide detectives can be reached by phone at 316-268-4181.