Man who fatally shot himself during east Wichita SWAT standoff identified: official

Update Saturday:

The man who fatally shot himself during a SWAT standoff at an east Wichita motel Friday has been identified as 43-year-old Ramiro A. Rosete Jr., Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Benjamin Blick said Saturday.

Original Friday:

A several-hour standoff Friday morning at an east Wichita motel ended after the suspect agreed to surrender and then shot himself, Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Benjamin Blick said.

The 43-year-old man, who shot himself in the head around 8:25 a.m. Friday, died at an area hospital.

The incident started around 11:15 p.m. Thursday when a deputy tried to stop the driver of a vehicle for a traffic violation near I-235 and Central. During the stop, the deputy discovered the man had an outstanding warrant for suspicion of aggravated indecent liberties with a child and tried to arrest the man, Blick said.

“When the deputy attempted to arrest the suspect for the outstanding warrant, he fled in his vehicle,” Blick said in a news release. “The deputy pursued the suspect for several minutes, but eventually lost sight of him near Seneca and Irving. The vehicle was later located, unoccupied, in an alley near Mead and Bayley.”

The investigation lead officers to a motel in the 7300 block of East Kellogg. The suspect had been staying at the Blue Way Inn & Suites Wichita East.

“Deputies went to the motel and made contact with the suspect who had barricaded the door to his room,” Blick said. “The suspect refused to come out of the room and informed deputies he had a handgun. After considering the current circumstances, the SWAT team was requested to assist.”

Around 8:25 a.m., the suspect agreed to surrender. That’s when SWAT team members heard one gunshot and then found the man in his room with a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

SWAT medics provided aid and the man was transported to an area hospital where he later died.

This story was originally published July 16, 2021 at 9:19 AM.