On Wednesday, May 24 at approximately 9 p.m., a police officer was exiting the front of the Great Bend Police Department building when he observed a dark colored passenger car driving northbound on Williams Street in front of the building.
He noticed a person hanging out of the passenger window and point what appeared to be some sort of assault rifle at the Police Department Building. The officer then heard numerous (approximately 13) shots come from the direction of the car. Due to the sound of the shots, the officer believed the weapon to be some sort of air gun, such as an airsoft gun or BB gun. Because of this, the officer did not return fire on the vehicle. Officers were not able to apprehend the occupants of the vehicle.
Department personnel have examined the front of the building, and have been unable to locate any damage indicative of the building being shot. Due to this and the report by the police officer on scene, the agency believes that the occupants of the vehicle were most likely firing an air gun of some sort at the Police Department Headquarters Building.
Anyone with information regarding this incident is encouraged to contact the Great Bend Police Department at (620)793-4120 or Crimestoppers at (620) 792-1300. Crimestoppers is a program which allows people to give anonymous tips and receive a cash reward if their tip leads to an arrest.
Chief Cliff Couch, of the Police Department, said “this was obviously a very dangerous situation, whether the weapon used turns out to be real or not. I’m proud that the officer in this incident showed such restraint, but not all situations turn out that way. It’s very difficult for an officer to identify a fake weapon, across the street, in a matter of seconds; and the people in that car could have very easily been killed as a result of their actions.”