Kansas police kill woman who grabbed a gun during arrest for misdemeanor warrant, KBI says

A Kansas woman is dead after she was shot by a police officer when she grabbed a gun during her arrest at a convenience store on a misdemeanor warrant.

The Kansas Bureau of Investigation reported that 29-year-old Nicole Dechant, of Hays, was shot and killed by a Plainville Police Department officer at the town’s Short Stop. The shooting happened at around 1 a.m. Sunday.

The incident started about 10 minutes earlier, when the police officer arrived at the convenience store at 601 S. Washington in Plainville, KBI spokesperson Melissa Underwood said in a news release. The officer knew that Dechant had a misdemeanor arrest warrant, and he found out that she was buying food at the store.

Investigators determined that Dechant was sitting on the curb outside Short Stop when the officer approached and explained that she was being arrested on the warrant.

“During the interaction, Dechant reached inside her bag and took out a firearm,” Underwood said. “The officer then drew his firearm and gave repeated commands for Dechant to put down the gun. Dechant ignored the commands, and the officer fired multiple times striking Dechant.”

First aid and paramedics were unable to save her life. The coroner pronounced her dead at the scene.

The KBI did not release what charge the warrant was for.

Kansas Department of Correction records show Dechant was under “intensive supervision” following a drug possession conviction in Phillips County in 2020.

The officer was not hurt. He was not identified by state officials.

The officer-involved shooting remains under KBI investigation. Findings will be presented to the Rooks County Attorney.

Plainville is a town of about 2,000 people in northwest Kansas, about 25 miles north of Hays.

This story was originally published June 27, 2021 at 1:38 PM.