Wichita police urge caution when buying and selling through social media
22 April 2023
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — A court document released Friday claims police have video of a motorcyclist crashing into a woman and killing her. The probable cause affidavit lays out the Wichita Police Department’s investigation into the death of 48-year-old Kristine Sheffield and the eventual arrest of the alleged suspect.
The crash happened around 7:15 p.m. on Feb. 20 at Broadway and 11th Street North.
At 7:14 p.m., two Wichita police officers were northbound on Broadway from Central. The officers said a motorcycle turned onto Broadway and followed them, started doing a wheelie and passed them, then ran a red light at Broadway and Murdock.
According to the affidavit, the same officers had tried to stop the same motorcycle around 5:10 p.m. that evening, and it got away. They did not try to stop it when it passed them at 7:14 p.m.
As the officers approached 11th Street North, a citizen flagged them down because a woman had been hit and was in the street. The woman was Sheffield. She was rushed to the hospital, where she died a few hours later.
A detective with the Wichita Police Department wrote the affidavit. He wrote that one witness told officers he saw the motorcycle do a wheelie before going out of view. The bike went out of view, and then he saw someone had been hit. The witness allegedly told police he saw the motorcycle slide down the street and then saw a rider jump back onto the bike and take off at a high rate of speed.
The court document says another witness saw the bike sliding down the street. The witness allegedly saw the biker drive away at a high rate of speed and then run a stoplight at 13th and Broadway.
Police used a Flock camera to find daylight pictures that matched the biker’s jacket and motorcycle. Police released the following photos the day after the crash.
Courtesy: Wichita Police Department
According to the affidavit, people called authorities and alleged that the driver was Chase Faimon. Police arrested Faimon and continued to investigate.
On Feb. 22, police got surveillance video from nearby businesses. The affidavit claims that one video shows “the motorcycle driver pops a wheelie south of 11th and continues riding the wheelie until the motorcycle hits Ms. Sheffield, which causes the driver to come off the bike and slide down the street.”
The detective writes in the affidavit that GPS data from Faimon’s cell phone shows that the phone “was at 1200 N. Broadway at the time of the collision.” The detective said the data shows the phone and then goes to Faimon’s home. From there, the phone returns to the scene of the crash and circles the block where the wreck happened.
After Faimon was arrested on Feb. 21, the detective writes that Faimon made a phone call from jail to his mother and “stated this wasn’t supposed to happen and it was a freak thing.”
The probable cause affidavit alleges that GPS data ties Faimon’s phone to two other motorcycle chases:
On Dec. 7, 2022, in the 6500 block of N. Broadway, a Park City sergeant tried to stop a speeding motorcycle. The sergeant allegedly witnessed the bike run a red light in a construction zone and weave in and out of oncoming traffic. The sergeant had to call off the pursuit.
On Dec. 17, 2022, in the 1000 block of E. 53rd Street North, a Park City officer saw a dirt bike go by with no tag on it. The driver, who was wearing a full-face helmet, turned to look at the officer, nodded his head up and down, then accelerated. The officer started to catch the bike, but it was weaving in and out of traffic, ran a red light, and got away.
Faimon is charged with multiple counts. His next court date is Tuesday, April 25.