Deputy Elijah Ming was fatally shot on July 26, 2025, while responding to a domestic violence call; his death has been certified by the Wyandotte County Sheriff’s Office. The 34-year-old has been a Wyandotte County sheriff’s officer for almost nine years.
The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI), which investigates shootings involving law enforcement officials, is now in charge of the case, according to KCTV.
KBI reported that at approximately 3:30 p.m. on July 26, a woman called the Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department to request assistance.
RELATED STORIES
She was concerned for her safety while relocating out of her home and requested police assistance. She claimed that as she and her friends attempted to get her out, a man pulled out a gun and threatened her.
Deputy Ming and a KCKPD officer arrived at the location, which is in the 2600 block of S. 30th Street, at approximately 3:45 p.m.
KBI reported that as the two officials approached the front door, a man inside began shooting at them. Deputy Ming was hit, while the KCKPD officer was unharmed.
Numerous law enforcement officials were then dispatched to the scene. They reported exchanging many rounds of gunfire with the individual inside the house while attempting to save Deputy Ming, who died later in the hospital.
KBI later identified the man inside the home as 38-year-old Shawn Harris. He locked himself inside for approximately an hour before surrendering about 5 p.m., after speaking with negotiators on the phone.
Sometime during the standoff, he was shot and hurt, but he received medical attention at the hospital and is said to be doing well.
According to KBI, Harris was released from the hospital at 11:30 a.m. on July 27. He was then arrested for the capital murder of a police officer and put into the Johnson County Jail.
Online records from the State of Kansas show that Harris has spent more than 10 years in the Kansas Department of Corrections, with a criminal history in Wyandotte County. The last time he was released from prison was on December 11, 2024.
Meanwhile, people have been sending their condolences to the family of the deceased deputy. Sheriff Daniel Soptic described him as a beloved department member.
“Deputy Ming gave his life serving Wyandotte County and all of its residents,” he said, according to KCTV.
Sheriff Soptic then urged everyone to offer prayers for the Ming family, the sheriff’s office staff, and the community at large.
Tyrone Garner, the mayor of Kansas City, referred to Saturday’s shooting as another instance of needless, senseless violence. The community of Wyandotte County has already started to express its support for everyone impacted, he said.
“We’re going to honor the memory of our fallen deputy by standing in complete solidarity with his family and our law enforcement professionals, who continue, at this moment, to put their lives on the line every single day,” Garner said.
Garner visited Deputy Ming’s family in the hospital on Saturday. He added that no words of comfort can ever lessen the agony of losing someone you love to senseless violence.
“To say that [Saturday] has been the hardest day for me as the mayor of Kansas City, Kansas Unified Government is an understatement,” Garner shared. “This is truly a painful moment for Wyandotte County, and extremely painful moment for our community.”
The Kansas City Metropolitan Crime Commission reported on Monday that Deputy Ming’s family was given a cheque for $40,000 from the Surviving Spouse and Family Endowment Fund, or SAFE.
KCTV reported that before Saturday’s incident, the suspect had three prior convictions in Wyandotte County.
The first conviction was for theft, which stemmed from an incident back in 2011. The next was an attempted aggravated battery conviction from an incident in February of 2012. Less than three months later, he faced a charge of aggravated battery, which he was eventually convicted of and then sentenced for in late 2013.
Since then, online documents show that Harris spent much of the last 12 years in the Kansas Department of Corrections before his sentence expired this past December.
KBI said formal charges are pending.
