Wichita officers who fired back and hit woman in Whole Foods acted within policy: official

Two Wichita police officers who returned fire and hit the suspect in Whole Foods grocery store acted in self-defense and followed department policy, a police captain and the district attorney said in September.

One of the officers involved has been with the department just over 10 years. The other worked for the department from 2001 until earlier this year.

Danielle Hannah Robinson, the 33-year-old Salina woman arrested in the incident, has been charged and is still awaiting trial. The incident happened in October 2021. Police said the woman was acting paranoid, drinking alcohol and had been pointing her gun at several people.

About 10-15 employees and shoppers were there and in the backroom when the shooting happened, police said.

Body cam footage released from police showed two officers in the foyer of the store at 13th and Webb in northeast Wichita when the suspect ducked behind a food stand just inside the door. Police yelled for her to put the gun down. She then fired once at police.

The two officers then fired six shots each, hitting the suspect at least once, police said. Police did not show body cam images of the officers shooting back. The officers then rendered aid and applied pressure to the woman’s wounds before she was taken to the hospital and then jail.

The police department’s internal investigators determined that the officers followed policy, Capt. Travis Easter said Thursday. Internal investigators concluded their investigation last fall. On Friday, Sedgwick County District Attorney Marc Bennett said he determined that no charges would be filed against the officers a couple of months after the incident.

This story was originally published September 23, 2023 at 2:58 PM.