Kansas deputy, suspect killed in exchange of gunfire after a call about fireworks, authorities say

Phillipsburg, Kansas – An assistant to a sheriff in Kansas responded to a call about fireworks died after being killed by a man who was then killed by the fatally injured deputy, the authorities said.

The deputy for the Sheriff’s Bureau of the County of Phillips, Brandon Gaede, 30, was declared dead in a hospital after the shooting Friday evening in Phillipsburg, said the sheriff’s office. The city of approximately 2,000 inhabitants is close to the state border with the Nebraska.

The Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office, which is investigating the shooting, said Gaede answered an appeal concerning illegal fireworks and non -quality consumers in a city house when he contacted Kolton Griffith, a 27 -year -old resident at home considered to be responsible for fireworks.

When Gaede tried to place Griffith in the handcuffs after developing a probable cause to stop him, a struggle broke out and Griffith released a handgun that had been hidden and shot Gaede, said the sheriff’s office.

Although he was struck by gunshots, Gaede turned fire, hitting Griffith several times, said the sheriff’s office. Griffith died on the scene.

___

This story was corrected to assign details on the exchange of shots at the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office instead of the Sheriff’s Bureau of Phillips.