Man is in custody after police standoff near where two found dead in Riverside

Updated, 12:44 p.m.:

A man found armed with a handgun is in custody, police said.

“The situation at 12th & Woodrow has been resolved. You may resume normal activities,” authorities said in a followup emergency alert message to the public.

Earlier, they had shut down part of 13th Street through Riverside and asked people to avoid the area of 12th and Woodrow.

Police were following up on the deaths of two people found earlier Tuesday in the area when they encountered a man armed with a handgun making suicidal statements in the 1200 block of North Woodrow, Lt. Aaron Moses said during a news briefing around 11:45 a.m.

Moses said the man was outside and police were trying to talk with him, but he didn’t know if the man was talking back.

He didn’t know if the man was tied to the two people found dead in a home a block to the south. However, a woman with the family of at least one victim had been crying out that “I don’t want (the police) to shoot my dad.” She tried to walk from the home where the two people were found dead and toward the standoff but two woman grabbed her under the arms pulled her backward.

The 911 call about the two people found dead happened at 7:32 a.m. The man with the handgun was found at 10:12 a.m.

The man was taken to a hospital for medical issues related to the heat after surrendering. Police investigators are working to identify the man, Moses said.

“We will continue to investigate his involvement in any crime... or if he’s involved in the previous incident,” Moses said.

All together Wichita police, Wichita fire Fire Department and Sedgwick County EMS responded to the incident.

Original:

Wichita police are warning people to avoid the area of 12th and Woodrow, near 13th Street in Riverside, after two people were found dead in the area earlier.

“The WICHITA Police Dept is working an active threat at 12th & Woodrow. This is a dangerous situation; avoid the area if you can, or shelter in place inside your home or other safe location. For more information, monitor local media. Do not call 911 unless you need police, fire or EMS,” authorities said in an emergency alert system email around 11:30 a.m.

Police Chief Joe Sullivan tweeted, asking drivers to avoid 13th Street between Garland and McLean.

Police had started to clear out from the call about the deaths in the 1100 block of Woodrow when an officer yelled to a reporter and the family of at least one of the victims to run, saying, “He is in the area.”

Police have surrounded a home that appears to be in the 1200 block of North Woodrow.

One person, who had been standing with family of at least one of the victims, was crying out that she didn’t want police to shoot her father.

She started walking from the home where the two people were found dead and toward the area police were moving. Two women grabbed her under her arms and walked her backward.

The original 911 call came around 7:30 a.m. Two people were found dead in a house in the 1100 block of Woodrow.

A 58-year-old man and a 50-year-old woman were the only two people in the house, Wichita police said. At the scene, Officer Kristopher Gupilan would not say how they died, what their relationship is or whether they were the owners of the house.

A woman dropping off a child found the door locked. It’s usually unlocked, Gupilan said. She looked in the window and saw two people slumped over, he said, and alerted family, who called 911.

An officer yelled about a suspect in the area just after 10 a.m.

A SWAT vehicle arrived around 11:15 a.m. Officers could be seen in tactical gear. Police also appeared to be talking with the suspect, according to 911 emergency communications scanner traffic.

This story was originally published July 25, 2023 at 11:55 AM.