Wichita police: Squatters’ shotgun went off as cops moved furniture in vacant house
Police say two squatters, a 46-year-old man and a 43-year-old woman, have been jailed in connection with a case where three Wichita officers were wounded by a shotgun blast at a south-side home that was supposed to be vacant.
James Alden Hathorn and Tiffany Lynn Vulgamore were arrested Sunday morning at the home in the 1400 block of South St. Francis where the officers were injured the previous afternoon. Wichita police detectives checking the home caught the pair as they were trying to enter it, the police said in a Monday afternoon news release.
Police say the shotgun that shot three officers in their legs wasn’t rigged to fire on police or anyone else trying to enter the home. Investigators instead think the weapon, a sawed-off shotgun that had been modified and had no trigger guard, discharged as officers moved some furniture inside the house.
“We do not believe that this was a trap, ambush or type of attack aimed at police officers — or any intruders, for that matter,” Police Chief Gordon Ramsay said during a Monday news conference.
The gun was tucked into a side pocket pouch of a recliner near the front door of the home, along with a metal bat and a machete, Capt. Jason Stevens said. The shotgun fired a bird shot with approximately 400 pellets, tearing a hole through the recliner and hitting the officers.
“It is believed that because of the lack of a trigger guard, the trigger likely was caught either on the fabric of the chair or an electrical cord that was in the pouch — which caused the trigger to activate and fire the weapon after it was disturbed by officers moving furniture,” the release says.
The cord, Stevens said, was connected to “a little remote that has a massaging-type mechanism.” Citing the lack of a trigger guard and the collection of items packed into the pouch, Stevens said “it would not have taken much of an outside stimuli to activate the firing mechanism.”
At least two of the officers were within a couple feet of the shotgun when it went off, Stevens said. They were headed toward the kitchen at the time and were not touching the chair.
“It was just a very unusual circumstance,” Ramsay said. “The chances of that happening like it did, I would say, are pretty rare.”
Police said that Hathorn and Vulgamore had been staying at the home unbeknownst to its owner but left before officers arrived following a 911 call from its owner on Saturday. The pair could have been squatting at the house for potentially weeks or months, Ramsay said.
On Monday, Hathorn was being held on suspicion of reckless aggravated battery, burglary, theft, criminal possession of a firearm and possession of drug paraphernalia, the release said. Vulgamore was jailed on suspicion of burglary, theft, criminal discharge of a firearm and outstanding warrants, the release said. They were booked in the 3 o’clock hour Sunday afternoon, according to online jail records.
Officer Charley Davidson said the case has not yet been presented to the Sedgwick County District Attorney’s Office for formal criminal charges.
Law enforcement are still investigating the gun and its ownership. Craig Holloway, ATF Resident Agent in Charge, said the U.S. Attorney’s Office may potentially file federal firearms charges, depending on the results of the investigation.
The officers went to the vacant house shortly after 4 p.m. Saturday and entered using a key after its owners called 911 to report damage and their fear that someone might be inside.
“Shortly after they entered, they heard a loud bang and the three officers had injuries to their legs,” Ramsay said. “Initially they thought it was some type of explosion, possibly even a bomb.”
The incident drew the Wichita police SWAT team and bomb squad to the address. Police later said someone left what was described as a “modified, loaded shotgun” in the home that discharged when the officers went inside.
Of the three injured officers, one was released from the hospital relatively quickly after seeing medical staff and another was released later. The third was expected to leave the hospital Monday.
While the officers are expected to fully recover, minus the loss of some skin and possible skin grafts, Ramsay said he is unsure whether the third officer will be able to return to the force. He may be facing long-term medical issues and additional surgeries from the pellets tearing through his leg.
“It could have been much worse had it been higher up,” Ramsay said.
None of the injures were life-threatening, the police said Monday.
“We do appreciate the outpouring of support from community members for our officers and are pleased to know that they are going to be OK,” Ramsay said. “We also appreciate the assistance of the ATF and the FBI in this case. This could have been a much worse situation than what actually occurred, and it does highlight the dangers that our officers face, even in the most routine of calls, and we are thankful that they are recovering quickly.”
Hathorn was being held in the Sedgwick County Jail on Monday afternoon in lieu of $100,000 bond, an online log of inmates shows. Vulgamore’s bonds totaled $62,000.
Hathorn’s prior convictions include theft, attempted drug possession, aggravated assault, criminal threat, removing or disabling electronic monitoring equipment and violation of a protective order, the Kansas Department of Corrections records show. All of those were committed in Johnson and Douglas counties.
This story was originally published March 1, 2021 at 10:55 AM.
