Overview

• Deputy Brandon Gaede, 30, was shot when he tried to arrest 27-year-old Kolton Griffith at 899 1st Street in Phillipsburg after reports of illegal, non-consumer-grade fireworks.
• Despite being wounded, Gaede returned fire and fatally struck Griffith before dying about an hour later at a local hospital.
• The Kansas Bureau of Investigation declined to handle the case due to a conflict of interest involving a KBI employee’s family connection to one of the parties.
• The Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office is now conducting an independent investigation into the deputy-involved shooting.
• State and local officials, including Senator Jerry Moran, have issued condolences and highlighted the risks faced by small-town law enforcement.