PHILLIPS COUNTY, Kan. (KSNW) — Law enforcement officers feared the worst after getting reports that a man was firing a gun near a middle school in Phillipsburg in north-central Kansas on Thursday.
Witnesses told investigators the man fired two shots into the air with a 9mm pistol and had an AR rifle on him. Several people helped herd the students to safety at the nearby school, while others tried to control the situation.
The Phillips County Sheriff said a deputy patrolling school zones was the first law enforcement officer to arrive. The deputy began shouting orders at the man, who dropped the two weapons and lay on the ground.
Investigators say the suspect had one full magazine for the pistol, but the rifle magazine and chamber were empty.
They searched his apartment in the block south of the school. They say they found only a single 9mm round in the apartment but no evidence as to a motive or an agenda.
The 26-year-old suspect was taken into custody and booked on suspicion of criminal threat, aggravated assault, and unlawful discharge of a firearm within city limits. The sheriff’s office says the man is being mentally screened.
“We should all be proud of how our community reacted,” Sheriff Kyle Pinkerton said in a news release. “It was quick, and everyone prioritized the safety of our children, and also to the deputies that responded and ran directly to the threat and ended it.”
The sheriff’s office said Phillipsburg Fire was on standby if needed. The Kansas Highway Patrol helped with scene control, and Kansas Wildlife and Parks sent its evidence recovery team to help.