The Kansas Bureau of Investigations (KBI) identified 22-year-old Stephen M. McMillan as the suspect who shot four officers who responded to a domestic dispute outside Carbondale, Kansas, on Saturday.
Three sheriff's deputies and a state highway patrol trooper were injured and were taken to local area hospitals. McMillan was shot and killed at the scene.
Newsweek reached out by email to the Osage County Sheriff's Office, who referred to the KBI for all queries. Newsweek reached out to KBI by email outside of normal business hours on Sunday afternoon for further information.
The Context
Carbondale lies around 16 miles south of Topeka.
Domestic disputes are highly sensitive situations that can escalate into violence, highlighting the need to approach them with as much care as possible to protect lives.
Politicians have often discussed domestic disputes as a major point of discussion on the use of force by police, with some officials such as New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani suggesting new approaches to policing that would focus on mental health and crisis response.
What To Know
Authorities responded to a domestic violence incident at a residence in northern Osage County at 10:24 a.m. local time on Saturday after a woman called 911 seeking help for a domestic disturbance.
A male civilian, on Sunday identified as McMillan, was found standing outside the residence in question and allegedly opened fire on the officers after 10 minutes, wounding three deputies from the Osage County Sheriff's Office and a Kansas Highway Patrol (KHP) trooper.
Additional law enforcement officers responded after the shooting occurred, discovering that the suspect had been shot and killed, while another civilian, on Sunday identified as McMillan's 77-year-old grandfather, was wounded and taken to a hospital for treatment.
A KHP lieutenant was also involved in the shooting but was not injured.
On Sunday, the KBI revealed that two of the deputies had undergone surgery overnight and were listed in good condition, while the third deputy was discharged from the hospital, according to ABC News.
The trooper has also been released since his transfer to the University of Kansas Medical Center. McMillan's grandfather remains hospitalized as of Saturday evening but is expected to survive.
The identities of the officers were not immediately released, according to The Topeka Capital-Journal. The KBI has taken over the investigation, with all law enforcement offices directing questions to KBI.
What Happens Next
The suspect's motive and additional details of the domestic dispute remain unknown, but authorities will reveal more information as it becomes available.
In a statement posted to Facebook on Saturday, the KBI wrote that it "aims to discover all events leading up to the officer-involved shooting. In police use of force cases, the KBI releases details to the public as soon as possible."
It continued: "This information is preliminary in nature, and is based on evidence collected and early statements of the parties involved, witnesses, medical personnel and others. It does not represent final or thorough findings which take several weeks to complete."