Wichita police give details of shooting that critically injured officer

One person is dead and an officer is in critical condition after a shooting Saturday night in south Wichita.

Officers responded to a welfare check call around 10:15 p.m. in the 500 block of West Carlyle. Two officers arrived at the home where “two females” were when a suspect inside the home started shooting at the officers, Capt. Wendell Nicholson said at the scene shortly after midnight.

An officer was hit multiple times. He was taken to an area hospital in critical condition.

The suspect continued shooting as other officers arrived, Nicholson said. The suspect was eventually shot. He died at the scene.

Deputy Chief Jose Salcido said at a Sunday afternoon news conference that the officer is stable and continues to improve. He has been with the department for five years.

“He’s going to have a long road to recover from his wounds,” Nicholson said.

Salcido said officers responding to the original call had information that a woman may be in danger. Capt. Jason Stevens said police believe there was some sort of domestic violence incident that prompted the call.

Police were told that a 32-year-old woman was yelling for help, and her 13-year-old daughter was scared, Salcido said. The mother reported a “physical disturbance” with her boyfriend, identified as Tyler Hodge.

The woman believed her boyfriend had left her home, but police searched the property and found Hodge hiding in a shed in the backyard, armed with a rifle.

Body camera video released by police showed a man wearing a yellow cutoff t-shirt and shorts, holding what appeared to be a semi-automatic rifle.

“Put the gun down,” an officer said, then repeated the command.

The video shows the man stand up, then two gunshots can be heard.

Salcido said the officers took cover as backup arrived. Hodge fired on officers, Salcido said, hitting one officer multiple times. Officers pulled the injured officer to safety and drove him to a hospital. A sergeant was pinned behind a patrol vehicle, and other officers used “suppressive fire to stop the suspect from firing at them so that the sergeant could also get to a safe location.”

At some point during the gun battle, one officer shot Hodge once. Officers attempted first aid on Hodge, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.

In total, Hodge fired 18 rounds. In addition to the shooting the injured officer, the bullets from Hodge’s rifle hit one patrol car and three homes, Salcido said. The mom and daughter are safe and were not injured.

Police found out after the shooting that Hodge had previously made statements alluding to a desire to die by police-assisted suicide, Stevens said. Salcido said it is unknown whether Hodge was currently experiencing a mental health crisis.

Two officers involved in the shooting have been placed on paid administrative leave, per protocol. The Kansas Bureau of Investigation is assisting in the case, which police said is ongoing and will be presented to the district attorney’s office.

Police Chief Gordon Ramsay said in a tweet that the officer remained in critical condition as of about 5:30 a.m. Sunday.

“Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers,” Ramsay said.

The Honore Adversis Foundation, with the family’s blessing and permission, is accepting donations on behalf of the officer injured in the line of duty, Officer Charley Davidson said. Donations can be made online at www.honorduringadversity.org.

This story was originally published June 20, 2021 at 12:36 AM.