79-year-old dies of apparent self-inflicted gunshot in SWAT standoff near Haysville

A multi-day incident at a home just outside Haysville ended early Saturday with SWAT team members finding the 79-year-old suspect dead inside with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office said.

The Sheriff’s Office was called about a domestic violence incident at 4:22 p.m. Thursday in the 8400 block of South Minnesota Circle, which is a dirt road lined with houses that ends in a cul-de-sac just east of Haysville.

The 79-year-old man threatened his 47-year-old son with a handgun, sheriff’s office spokesperson Branden Stitt said. The suspect’s wife, who is in her mid-60s, and a grandson were home at the time as well, Stitt said, adding that the adults all live at the address.

“Witnesses said the man pointed the firearm at his son during an argument over money and threatened to kill him,” Stitt said. “The confrontation further escalated when the man, after being locked out of the home, reportedly threatened to shoot through the door to regain entry.”

The suspect’s wife had locked him out but he was let back in after the threats, Stitt said.

Deputies arrived and found the son outside. Deputies were able to get the woman and grandson evacuated, Stitt said.

Stitt said the deputies stayed on scene for a “for a very long time” Thursday before deciding that, since the man was alone inside, their presence could escalate the situation. They left and handed over the case to investigators, who started working on it Friday morning and made contact with the suspect, but he refused to leave the home to meet with them, Stitt said.

Deputies went back Friday afternoon.

A warrant was obtained Friday evening. The joint sheriff’s office and Wichita Police Department SWAT team and crisis negotiators responded to serve the warrant, as the incident involved a firearm.

Negotiators started talking with the suspect over the phone around 10:30 p.m. Friday, Stitt said, but the man refused to come out.

After some time of not responding to calls or prompts from a loudspeaker, a gas munition was “introduced into the home to gain compliance,” Stitt said.

SWAT members entered the home just after 6 a.m. Saturday and found the man dead inside.

Stitt said officers had responded to domestic violence calls at the home in the past, but he did not have the details of those calls.

This story was originally published January 18, 2025 at 11:53 AM.