ELLIS COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating after a gun theft suspect was found dead in a home in Hays.
Just after noon Friday., the Hays Police Department received a report that a man had stolen a handgun from a local gun shop in Hays, according to a statement from Police Chief Don Scheibler. The suspect, who reportedly had blood on his hands, fled the area in a vehicle before officers arrived on scene.
Officers later located the suspect vehicle at a residence in the 200 block of West 24th Street. Officers established a safety perimeter around the residence, alerted the community and attempted to contact the suspect.
The Hays Police Department Special Situation Response Team was activated, and an armored vehicle from the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) was also brought to the scene.
Statements made by the suspect at the gun shop led officers to believe he may have been experiencing a mental health crisis and could pose a danger to himself. The High Plains Mental Health Center Mobile Crisis Unit responded to assist. Hays Police Department negotiators made multiple attempts to contact the suspect by phone but were unsuccessful.
A search warrant was obtained for the residence in order to arrest the suspect and recover the stolen handgun. The door to the residence was breached using the ram on the armored vehicle. Drones operated by the Kansas Highway Patrol and the KBI were deployed inside the residence in an effort to safely locate the suspect.
The suspect was found deceased inside the garage area from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. This incident remains under investigation by the Ellis County Coroner and the Hays Police Department.