Man shoots wife while dropping off kids at a Wichita elementary school, sheriff says

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Man shoots wife while dropping off kids at a Wichita elementary school, sheriff says

A ********* that happened next to a south Wichita elementary school Monday morning stemmed from a “domestic dispute” between a husband and wife who were dropping off their children for class, authorities say.

A Lyft driver brought the family to Cessna Elementary School, 2101 W. 45th St. South, at some point before the husband allegedly pulled a **** and shot his wife in the chest. A Sedgwick County Sheriff’s deputy who arrived at the school within minutes allegedly saw the husband with the **** pointed at his wife’s head and shot him after he stepped away, Sheriff Jeff Easter said.

The couple’s children had already gone into the school when the ********* unfolded shortly before 9:15 a.m.

Classes at Cessna start at 9 a.m.

Easter said school staff noticed the initial argument between the husband and wife taking place in the street and hurried a few other students into the building. The school was immediately placed on lockdown and police were quick to announce that there was no active shooter inside.

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A ********* near Cessna Elementary School in Wichita led the school being put on lockdown Monday, Sept. 23, 2024.

No students or staff members were harmed. But afternoon prekindergarten classes were canceled Monday and parents had the option to pick up their child, school district and law enforcement officials said.

What happened in the ********* outside Wichita school?

The husband and wife were taken to the hospital with critical injuries. The husband’s condition was considered “code blue,” Easter said, meaning he was unresponsive or in cardiac arrest.

Easter said, according to witnesses, the man allegedly shot his wife while they were in the street, on Clarence immediately east of the school. On Monday morning, yellow ****** scene tape cordoned off a section of the road dotted with several evidence markers.

“She then ran towards the school for help. He chased her,” Easter said.

“At the point our deputy arrived, he had the **** pointing at her head. … The deputy took cover, and then when the suspect (husband) stepped a little bit away from our victim (wife), the deputy shot the suspect,” he said.

The area where the deputy shot the husband is near an east-side main entrance to the school. That portion of campus was also cordoned off with yellow ****** scene tape Monday.

The deputy and the suspect scuffled briefly after the deputy approached to take him into custody, Easter said.

Easter said Monday morning he did not know the name of the husband or wife or whether they had been involved in any other disputes reported to police.

He wasn’t sure how many rounds the husband allegedly fired at his wife. The deputy fired twice, he said.

Easter reiterated that there was no school ********* of “any type” and that no children “are hurt or in danger.”

“This is a DV-related (domestic *********) ********* that happened outside the school. There was no school ********* whatsoever,” he said. “Unfortunately, sometimes these things manifest around neighborhoods where there are schools. … I know for parents it can be scary. But the fact of the matter is law enforcement showed up within two minutes of the ********* coming out, and it never got into the school itself where the kids were in danger.”

It wasn’t immediately clear exactly what happened or was said between the couple before the *********.

Easter said authorities are interviewing the Lyft driver.

Parents, caregivers wait on sidewalk for children

The school is located on 45th Street South between Seneca and Meridian. About 365 students were enrolled there last year, according to the Kansas Department of Education.

Anxious parents and caregivers lined the sidewalks around the school, waiting to take their children home, as police were still investigating the ****** scene Monday morning. At least a dozen police and Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office vehicles circled the campus and blocked off part of Clarence while a law enforcement drone buzzed overhead.

Parents interviewed by The Eagle said the neighborhood was typically a quiet one and the ********* worried them. One father said his son rode his bicycle to school and he was nervous about the *********.

Amanda Meyers, executive director of the Wichita Family Crisis Center, said Monday that domestic ********* often precedes other violent episodes and frequently involves “many innocent bystanders, often children.” More than two-thirds of mass shootings, for example, are tied to domestic ********* or are carried out by someone with a history of domestic *********, she said.

“There are many factors that cause a situation such as the one that took place this morning. This is a community-wide issue and will continue to occur until we find a community-based solution.”

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Parents pick up their kids from Cessna Elementary School on Monday, Sept. 23, 2024 after a nearby ********* put the school on lockdown.

‘All students are safe at school’

Parents and guardians can pick up their children from Cessna Elementary School, if they choose. A district spokeswoman, Wendy Johnson, said students will remain inside of the school building and go to lunch as scheduled but will not have any outdoor activities Monday. Johnson said the school notified parents of the ********* and provided pick-up instructions.

Pick up is optional and “all students are safe at school, and may remain at Cessna, through the end of the day,” the school posted on its website. District counseling staff is on site to provide support to students and staff members.

Wichita police spokesman Andrew Ford asked parents who want to take their child home to park along 45th Street South and follow directions from officers at the scene. Parents should go to Door 6, which is on the north side of the school. Parents must show identification to school officials to pick up their child.

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A ********* near Cessna Elementary School in Wichita led the school being put on lockdown Monday, Sept. 23, 2024.

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