Authorities identify man killed by officer after chase outside Goddard
A Goddard police officer fatally shot a man with a BB gun after a car chase Monday morning.
Michael James Trask, 39, of the Lake Afton area was shot in a confrontation after ignoring repeated verbal commands to drop his weapon, Sedgwick County Sheriff Jeff Easter said at a news conference Tuesday.
The sheriff’s department was brought into investigate the shooting. Easter said his office is reviewing body cam and dash cam footage and will turn them over to the district attorney’s office. No video footage has been made public.
The incident began with a 9:44 a.m. traffic stop at 31st Street South and 199th Street West, just south of Goddard city limits. When the man wouldn’t pull over, a five-minute car chase ensued.
Easter said the officer notified dispatch that he was shutting down the pursuit on 199th Street because of high speeds but continued to pursue the truck from a distance at a slower speed as Trask turned east onto 63rd Street South.
“After a short distance, the officer attempts to stop the vehicle a second time by activating his lights and siren,” Easter said.
The officer then advised dispatch that the driver had “flashed a gun at him” before coming to a stop.
The man remained in the vehicle for 37 seconds, Easter said, as the officer gave six “very loud commands” to him, telling him to show his hands and to place them outside the window. The man did not comply.
“After 37 seconds, the suspect exited the driver’s door of the truck and began to walk back towards the officer,” Easter said. “The suspect continues to walk back towards the suspect for 26 seconds while the officer gives nine more commands to include ‘put your hands up, ‘don’t come towards me’ and ‘drop the gun.’”
Easter added that Trask did not comment or respond to the officer’s demands during the incident.
Still photos from the police video released by the sheriff’s department show the man approaching the Goddard police car.
At 9:51, Easter said, dispatch received a call from a woman who said she was the man’s wife.
“She advised, her husband is in a high-speed chase and the suspect advises he’s probably going to be dead,” Easter said. “Call noted the suspect is suicidal and armed with a loaded 40-caliber handgun.”
The weapon turned out to be a BB gun, Easter said.
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The shooting was reported at 183rd Street West and 63rd Street South, about six miles southeast of Goddard city limits.
EMS and fire were dispatched to the scene, where they pronounced Trask dead. Easter said the officer shot eight rounds; it is unknown how many of those struck Trask.
Sheriff’s office spokesperson Lt. Nathan Gibbs said the number of rounds will be known after an autopsy.
The officer involved in the shooting is a patrol officer who has been with the Goddard Police Department for 12 years, Goddard police chief Lance Beagley said. His name has not been released. Officials say he has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.
This story was originally published February 21, 2023 at 4:02 PM.