Kansas Police Fatally Shoot Man in Police Station Parking Lot

Wichita, Kansas -- A 19-year-old man was fatally shot by police Thursday morning in the parking lot of a Wichita police station after approaching an officer and then pulling out a handgun, police Capt. Aaron Moses said.

Police provided medical aid before EMS arrived and took Nehemiah C. Flemming to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

“Based on preliminary interviews on family of the suspect, this appears to be a case of suicide by police,” Moses said during a news conference.

The call started at 6:34 a.m. with an officer in trouble at the north police substation,

Shots can be heard in the background as an officer says “shot fired, patrol north, one down,” according to Sedgwick County Emergency Communications 911 scanner traffic. Dispatch immediately puts outs the call, saying shots fired at 29th and Woodlawn. An officer corrects the dispatcher, telling the dispatcher it is patrol north, which is on 21st near Hillside and near Wichita State University.

Here is what Moses said happened:

An on-duty officer was ending their shift and unloading equipment from a patrol vehicle. Flemming and another male approached the officer in the parking lot.

Flemming asked about police policy for shooting an armed person and then produced a handgun.

A “brief struggle ensued” before Flemming pointed the gun at the officer who fell to the ground for cover, Moses said. Two other officers, one on duty and one off, fired their weapon, striking Flemming.

The other male who was with the teen shot ran before the shooting happened. He was found nearby, Moses said.

Moses said the patrol north station would likely be closed the rest of the day. The other stations will be open.

The Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the case as part of an agreement the agencies have to investigate critical incidents involving each other’s officers.

This is the second fatal officer-involved shooting Wichita police have been involved in this year. There were three fatal shootings involving officers last year, with the last one happening at the end of July.

This is also the 17th homicide of the year, according to police records. There were 25 at this time last year.