Two separate police shootings leave men in critical condition, Kansas officials say

Two separate overnight police shootings in Kansas left a man in Chanute and a man in Augusta in critical condition, officials said.

In Augusta, 49-year-old Barrye Lightner was taken to Wesley Medical Center in critical condition after being shot and cutting his own throat, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation said. The Augusta man is in critical, but stable condition, KBI spokesperson Melissa Underwood said in a news release around 3:15 p.m. Saturday.

After 8 p.m. Friday, officers responded to a 911 call from a cell phone, which was tracked to a Phillips 66 at the corner of Seventh Street and Lulu. An arriving officer learned Lightner, who was at the store, had felony warrants for his arrest, Underwood said.

“The officer entered the store and attempted to make contact with Lightner, who pulled out a knife,” she said. “The officer gave several commands to Lightner which were not followed. Lightner took steps toward the officer who fired once striking Lightner in his hands. Lightner then used the knife to cut his own throat. “

Chanute shooting

In Chanute, police were called at 7:30 p.m. Friday about a suspicious person looking into vehicle windows. An arriving police officer located 28-year-old Brandon Lee Schlichting of Chanute.

A police officer shot Schlichting after he allegedly pointed a gun at the officer. Schlichting was shot in the head and taken to the hospital.

“When the officer tried to make contact with Schlichting, he pulled a weapon from a holster and pointed it at the officer,” Underwood said. “The officer fired one time striking Schlichting in the head.”

The officer did “life-saving measures” on Schlichting and additional responding officers and EMS continued life-saving measures, Underwood said. Schlichting was taken to the Neosho Memorial Regional Medical Center and later transported to the University of Kansas Medical Center. He was listed in critical condition when a news release was sent out just before 11:30 a.m. Saturday.

The KBI is investigating both cases. It’s common to have an outside agency, such as the KBI, investigate police shootings to avoid a conflict of interest by having a department investigate its own officers.

This story was originally published August 21, 2021 at 1:22 PM.