24 January 2023
DODGE CITY, Kan. (KSNW) — The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) has identified the man killed in an officer-involved shooting in Dodge City on Monday that sent five others to the hospital.
According to the KBI, 39-year-old Leroy Malone of Phoenix, Arizona, was shot and killed during the OIS. A woman that was with him was also shot multiple times. She was taken in critical condition to a Wichita medical center.
Three deputies were shot, and a Kansas Highway Patrol (KHP) trooper was injured.
According to the KBI, preliminary information indicates that a deputy from the Clark County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) observed a blue Toyota Tundra driving through Minneola, Kansas. The Tundra matched the description of a vehicle connected to a double homicide in Phoenix.
The KBI says when deputies initiated a traffic stop, they found the woman driving and the man, who was later identified as Malone, in the passenger seat. The truck fled, prompting a car chase.
The chase headed north on U.S. Highway 283 into Ford County, where the KBI says deputies from Ford County Sheriff’s Office (FCSO) and the KHP joined the pursuit.
Stop sticks were deployed by deputies and troopers to try and slow the truck, according to the KBI. A deputy with Clark County used a maneuver to force the truck into a ditch.
The KBI says after the truck came to a stop east of the intersection of U.S. Highway 50 and 113 Road in Dodge City, gunfire was exchanged.
Deputies from the CCSO and the FCSO discharged their firearms, the KBI said.
A handgun was then recovered from inside the truck, according to the KBI.
“Leroy Malone was hit multiple times by gunfire and was pronounced dead at the scene,” the KBI said. “The female subject received multiple gunshot wounds and was transported to Wesley Medical Center in Wichita, where she is in critical condition.”
Two deputies from the FCSO were shot.
The KBI says one was taken to a Wichita hospital, where he is in the ICU with serious gunshot wounds. The other one was treated for shrapnel injuries and has since been released from an area hospital.
A deputy from the CCSO was shot twice.
The KBI says he was taken in serious condition to a Wichita hospital.
A KHP trooper was bitten by a police K9 during what the KBI is calling the “shooting incident.”
He underwent surgery and, according to the KBI, is in good condition.
The KBI states they will be conducting a thorough and independent investigation. Once completed, the findings will be presented to the Ford County Attorney for review.
An investigation is ongoing. No further information will be released at this time.