Police name mother accused of shooting, killing her Wichita teen son; fundraiser created
Tuesday update:
The Kansas Bureau of Investigation identified the suspect in the shooting as 43-year-old Kylee Hodges of Wichita, the agency said in a news release on Tuesday.
Hodges is accused of shooting and killing her son, 14-year-old Claude Hodges, Sunday at a west Wichita apartment complex, Wichita police said.
Hodges and her son both lived at the Aspen Park apartments, KBI spokesperson Melissa Underwood said.
Hodges was shot by two SWAT officers shortly before 2 a.m. Monday after they convinced her to come out of the first-floor apartment and put the gun on the ground. She quickly picked up the gun and moved toward officers while pointing the gun at them, Underwood said.
She was taken to a hospital where she underwent surgery. She is expected to recover.
After the hours-long standoff, officers reentered the apartment and found the boy dead from a gunshot wound, the KBI said.
A GoFundMe was created by the boy’s family to help cover funeral costs. The fundraiser has raised over half of its $10,000 goal.
“He was always a happy kid, didn’t cause much trouble, the way he would light up a room was like no other, and he always had a big smile on his face,” the fundraiser read. “Now we’ll never get to see that beautiful bright smile again, hear his laughter, or be in his wonderful presence.”
Previous story:
Police are investigating the fatal shooting of a 14-year-old boy allegedly by his mother Sunday at a west Wichita apartment complex, Wichita Police Department spokesperson Andrew Ford said in a news release.
The boy’s body was found in a bedroom after police shot and critically injured his mother to end a standoff. He was identified as Claude Hodges of Wichita.
Shortly after 6 p.m. Sunday, Claude’s father called police to check on his son after he did not arrive at a “designated exchange point” and did not answer calls, the release said.
Officers arrived at the Aspen Park apartments in the 8400 block of W. Central Avenue, near the intersection of Central and Tyler.
Police knocked on the door but no one responded and multiple calls went unanswered, Ford said.
“Officers observed what appeared to be an exit hole in the apartment’s exterior wall and discovered an expended bullet outside the entry door on the ground,” Ford added. “Concerned about the potential for someone inside to be injured, officers immediately entered the apartment.”
Once inside, officers met the 43-year-old mother, who was holding a handgun. They also saw a shotgun nearby. The officers retreated from the apartment, the release said.
Police negotiators and the SWAT team were called in and attempted to get the woman to surrender peacefully.
“Despite the prolonged negotiation attempts, the suspect continued to refuse to put the handgun down, leading SWAT officers to fire two shots that struck her,” Ford said.
She was taken to a hospital in critical condition by EMS.
Officers found Claude dead in a bedroom from a gunshot wound to his upper body, the release said.
The Kansas Bureau of Investigation is handling the officer-involved shooting.
This story was originally published January 29, 2024 at 11:48 AM.