FBI Investigating Fatal Officer-Involved Shooting in Topeka
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Topeka's interim police chief says the FBI is investigating a fatal officer-involved shooting in September, even as the police department's internal review is nearly complete. Interim Chief Bill Cochran says the FBI hasn't contacted him and he doesn't know when the agency's investigation into the death of Dominique Tyrell White will conclude. White was killed September 28 when two officers both shot him as he fled after a struggle for his gun. Cochran told The Topeka Capital-Journal the police department's internal review should be completed next week. Shawnee County District Attorney Mike Kagay has determined the officers were justified in shooting White and would not face criminal charges from his office.
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Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach Charges 2 More Voters with Fraud
HAYS, Kan. (AP) - Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach has charged two more people with voting illegally less than a day after President Donald Trump dismantled his voter fraud commission. Kobach's office said Thursday that the charges involve two people accused of double voting in Kansas and Colorado in 2016. They are among 15 people to be charged since Kobach obtained the authority to prosecute voter fraud cases in 2015. Kobach is a candidate for Kansas governor. The most recent charges come on the heels of Trump's announcement late Wednesday that he is disbanding the commission for which Kobach had served as vice chairman. Trump's decision followed infighting and refusals by numerous states to cooperate. The mission of the commission was transferred to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
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Governor Brownback Prepares to Deliver Final State-of-the-State Speech
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) - Kansas Governor Sam Brownback says he will deliver budget and school funding proposals next week during the State-of-the-State address. Brownback has also announced that he won't resign before he's confirmed by the U.S. Senate to become an ambassador in the Trump administration. Brownback will deliver the speech Tuesday at 5pm. KPR will carry the address live. The governor says the budget and school funding proposals will be his, though Lieutenant Governor Jeff Colyer had more input this time than in previous years. Colyer is in line to take over as governor if the U.S. Senate confirms Brownback for the ambassador post.
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Legislative Leaders Delay Decision on New Kansas Prison
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A decision on whether Kansas should build a new prison will wait for at least two more weeks. Members of the State Finance Council agreed Thursday to delay consideration of a proposal from Governor Sam Brownback's administration to hire a private prison operator to build a new prison in Lansing. The proposed lease-to-own arrangement will be considered again January 18. The Kansas City Star reports Brownback said the old, deteriorating prison "desperately needs help." Senate Majority Leader Jim Denning, an Overland Park Republican, said he wanted more time to study the proposal before voting on it. Under the proposal, CoreCivic Inc. would design and build the prison, but the state would operate it. The proposed $362 million project would provide a 2,400-bed prison to replace the current Lansing prison.
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Suspect in KCK Shooting Leads Officers on High-Speed Chase
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) _ A van carrying a person of interest in a Kansas killing led officers on a wild chase as the driver weaved through the wrong lanes of Interstate 35 at speeds exceeding 100 mph. Kansas City, Missouri police said the chase began Thursday near Smithville and continued until the van spun out of control in north Kansas City. Police say the driver intentionally drove toward oncoming cars and ran other vehicles off the road. A police spokeswoman says the driver was shot but his injuries were not considered life-threatening. A woman who was in the van surrendered. Kansas City, Kansas police said the man is a person of interest in the death of a man who was found shot inside a pickup truck early Thursday morning. No further details were immediately available.
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Swatting Death Call Suspect Threatened to Kill Grandmother
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Court documents show a man accused of making a hoax emergency call that led to the fatal police shooting of a Kansas man had once threatened to kill his grandmother. Tyler Barriss is accused of calling 911 last week with a fake story about a shooting and kidnapping at a Wichita home. The Wichita Eagle reports that his 62-year-old grandmother wrote in a California domestic violence case seeking a restraining order that Barriss had threatened her. He was ordered to move out of the house they shared and stay away from her, her home, her dogs, workplace and vehicle. The order was later dismissed when both missed a court hearing. Barriss reportedly threatened his grandmother to prevent her from telling authorities he had called in false bomb threats.
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Missouri Police say Man Was High on Marijuana Before Crash that Killed 2 Girls
INDEPENDENCE, Mo. (AP) - A Missouri man has been charged in a crash that killed two girls after a toxicology report found high levels of THC, the psychoactive component in marijuana, in his system. Fifty-one-year-old Terry Gray, of Independence, Missouri is charged with two counts of DWI resulting in death or, in the alternative, two counts of involuntary manslaughter. Court records show Gray was speeding in his pickup truck in September as he exited Interstate 435 and slammed into a stopped sport utility vehicle. The impact forced the SUV into an intersection, where it struck another car. The crash killed 16-year-old Emely Samantha "Sammi" Raudales, of Shawnee, Kansas, who was in the SUV, and 3-year-old Ryan Hampel, of Independence, who was in the car. Gray is being held on $75,000 bond.
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Man Barricaded in Topeka Apartment After Thursday Shooting
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) - Topeka Police say a man is barricaded inside an apartment after shooting and wounding a person then firing shots at responding officers. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that the standoff started after someone was shot about 9:50 p.m. Thursday. Police Lieutenant Steve Roth says the wounded person's condition isn't known because officers haven't been able to reach the person. It's not clear what triggered the shooting. A SWAT unit and mobile command center were on the scene Friday morning as the standoff continued.
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Police in Northwest Kansas Search for Person of Interest in Double Homicide
HILL CITY, Kan. (AP) - Authorities are searching for a person of interest in a double homicide in rural northwest Kansas. Two people were found dead Thursday near Hill City, in a rural part of Graham County. People are being urged to stay inside and lock their doors while deputies from several law enforcement agencies search an area north of Hays for the man. The Phillips County Sheriff's Office said the person of interest in the double homicide is believed to be armed and dangerous. Authorities say the vehicle he was believed to be driving has been abandoned. The vehicle belonged to one of the victims.
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3 Wounded in Shooting at Kansas City Area Apartment
LEE'S SUMMIT, Mo. (AP) - Authorities say three people have been wounded in a shooting at an apartment complex in the Kansas City suburb of Lee's Summit. The Kansas City Star reports that the shooting happened last (THUR) night at the Pheasant Run Apartments. Responding officers found the victims in an upstairs unit. All three were taken to the hospital. Two of the victims were listed in serious condition and the third had injuries that were not considered life threatening. The cause of the shooting is under investigation. Police didn't immediately release suspect information.
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Sprint Names Michel Combes President and Financial Chief
NEW YORK (AP) — Sprint named Michel Combes president and chief financial officer, months after it called off a merger with rival T-Mobile. Combes replaces Tarek Robbiati, who will remain with the Overland Park, Kansas, company to help with the transition until the end of the month. Combes most recently worked as CEO of telecom company Altice N.V. and is a longtime telecom industry executive. Combes will join the Sprint board later. In November, Sprint and T-Mobile said they couldn't come to an agreement that would benefit customers and shareholders. The companies have been dancing around a potential merger for years, but most recently said they would call off negotiations for the foreseeable future. A merger would have given the combined company better footing in competing with its much larger rivals, AT&T and Verizon.
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Authorities Identify 1 Victim of Wichita Grain Elevator Accident
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — One of the two men killed in a Kansas grain elevator has been identified. The Wichita Eagle reports that Marcus Tice left behind a wife and two stepdaughters. Relatives confirmed his identity on Wednesday. The second victim has not been identified. The men died Tuesday at the Gavilon Grain elevator in south Wichita. The bodies were recovered about three hours after the men became buried under 20 to 25 feet of grain. It isn't clear how they got into the bin and what caused them to become trapped. The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating.
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Chiefs Will Continue Training in St. Joseph
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs have reached an agreement with Missouri Western State University in St. Joseph to keep the NFL franchise on the school's campus for training camp next season and potentially beyond. The Chiefs' contract with Missouri Western expired after training camp this past fall. The training facility has been popular with Chief's fans because of its proximity to Kansas City.
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Auction of Country Music Pioneer Roy Acuff's Fiddle to Benefit Kansas City Goodwill
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - A fiddle once owned by country music legend Roy Acuff is expected to generate thousands of dollars for the Goodwill charity in Kansas City. The fiddle was donated anonymously to Goodwill of Western Missouri and Eastern Kansas and is being sold in an online auction. The highest bid reported so far is nearly $8,000. The auction is open until 11:00 tomorrow (SAT) night. Interested fans can bid on Acuff's fiddle at ShopGoodwill.com. Acuff was a singer, fiddler, promoter and music publisher known as the "King of Country Music". He was best known for his appearances on the Grand Old Opry and for hits such as "Wabash Cannonball and "Tennessee Waltz." He died in 1992 at age 89. The fiddle was made by Roy Acuff's uncle in 1945, using wood from the family farm.
