CRIME

Topeka police detective shot following robbery at Oakland convenience store

Suspect also shot and injured; neighbor said he heard dozens of shots

Katie Moore
Topeka police officers shine a flashlight on the street as they walk around the area near N.E. Atchison and N.E. Woodruff. (Emily DeShazer/The Capital-Journal)

A Topeka police detective was shot Saturday night as officers tried to take an armed robbery suspect into custody in northeast Topeka’s Oakland neighborhood.

The suspect also was shot.

The detective was listed in fair condition, Topeka police Lt. Colleen Stuart said. He was shot in the leg and the abdomen. The suspect left the scene with life-threatening injuries, Stuart said.

Police Capt. Mike Cross said in a news release the robbery occurred about 6:30 p.m. at a convenience store at 2518 N.E. Seward. The robber displayed a handgun and demanded money from a store employee, he said.

The robber fled the scene in a blue vehicle. Officers located a vehicle matching its description near S.E. 2nd and Davies streets. Two men fled from the vehicle, Cross said.

One man, identified only as a 28-year-old, was taken into custody, while the second fled from officers, Cross said.

Police established a perimeter, and officers located a person matching the suspect’s description about 7:40 p.m. near the 100 block of N.E. Woodruff Ave.

As officers tried to take the man into custody, he exchanged gunfire with them, Cross said. A detective and the suspect sustained gunshot wounds and were taken to a local hospital for treatment, Cross said.

By 9 p.m., at least nine Topeka police units remained in a residential area between N.E. Scotland and Woodruff on N.E. Atchison, which is a block south of N.E. Seward in the Oakland community.

Several neighbors talked about hearing gunshots.

Bill Pickering said he heard about 20 to 30 shots, a pause, then five or six shots more.

“It sounded like somebody set off a pack of firecrackers,” Pickering said.

Pickering, who has lived in the area for 21 years, and other neighbors were quick to clarify violence like this isn’t normal for their community.

“This is not something that happens in this area,” Pickering said.

Police were seen scanning the ground with lights near the crime scene, where orange cones appeared to mark evidence.

A second crime scene also was established in an alleyway in the 1400 block of N.E. Atchison. Evidence was found in the alleyway, with three marked cones marking their location.

Cross said officers involved in the shooting have been placed on administrative leave, in accordance with Topeka Police Department policy.

On Twitter, a Kansas Highway Patrol officer expressed condolences to the officer, offering “comfort to the agency and community effected. #ThinBlueLine”

Safety to the @Topeka_Police officer shot this evening.

Comfort to the agency and community effected.#ThinBlueLine

— Trooper Ben (@TrooperBenKHP) November 6, 2016

The Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office tweeted, “Our thoughts and prayers are with @Topeka_Police right now.”

Our thoughts and prayers are with @Topeka_Police right now.

— Shawnee Co. Sheriff (@ShawneeSheriff) November 6, 2016

Kansas Capitol Police offered their prayers while awaiting word of the officer’s condition.

Topeka police officer and suspect shot while exchanging gunfire.

Prayers for the Officer as we await to hear the status of their condition

— KS Capitol Police (@KSCapitolPolice) November 6, 2016

Capital-Journal reporters Justin Wingerter and Phil Anderson contributed to this report.