LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — A man who was shot and killed by Kansas law enforcement was wanted in a Nebraska killing.
Omaha, Nebraska, police identified the man killed Monday in Lawrence, Kansas, as 31-year-old Nicholas Hirsh, a white man who faced a first-degree murder arrest warrant for the shooting death Thursday of John Miles, 41, of Council Bluffs, Iowa.
Craig Beam, chief deputy for the Kansas division of the U.S. Marshals Service, said it appeared that the suspect had been in Kansas since Friday, when a car was stolen from Clay Center. He said the Marshals Service was helping to look for the vehicle when the Kansas Highway Patrol spotted it near Perry Lake in northeast Kansas. Beam said it was possible that the suspect had been camping there.
“Obviously he knew he was wanted,” Beam said. “He got spooked and took off”″
Troopers pursued the vehicle into Lawrence, where they eventually were able to stop it using tactical maneuvers that caused it to spin and come to a halt, the patrol said. The patrol said the man got out of his vehicle and pointed a gun in the direction of two troopers and an officer with a local law enforcement agency, and they exchanged gunfire. It’s not clear how many of the officers fired their weapons or which officer shot and killed the suspect.
Beam said a woman who also was in the vehicle was taken into custody for questioning.
No officers were hurt. The Johnson County, Kansas, Sheriff’s Office, which wasn’t involved in the chase or shooting, will investigate. The troopers involved will be placed on administrative leave during the investigation, which is standard practice.
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DOUGLAS COUNTY— Law enforcement authorities are investigating a fatal officer-involved shooting in Lawrence.
Just after 3p.m. Monday, the Kansas Highway Patrol was assisting the US Marshal's service around Perry Lake, according to a media release.
The subject was located and initiated a pursuit with KHP.
A State Trooper intervened with the vehicle and caused it to become disabled in the area of 19th and Massachusetts in Lawrence.
The suspect exited the vehicle and exchanged gunfire with troopers and an officer from a local agency. The suspect, a white male, was shot and died at the scene, according to the KHP.
Officers were not injured. A female passenger in the vehicle was also taken into custody.
As is standard practice, the trooper has been placed on administrative leave while the investigation continues. The Johnson County Sheriff's office is in charge of the investigation. The name of the suspect has not been release.