(FreedomBeacon.com)- Two Wichita police officers were shot and wounded early Christmas morning after responding to a report of domestic abuse. And during the standoff with police, the suspect turned the gun on himself.
The incident began at 10:40 pm on Christmas Eve when officers responded to a report from a woman who said she had been abused by her 24-year-old boyfriend, Malik Rogers.
According to Wichita Police Captain Jason Stephens, police met the woman at a nearby restaurant where she told officers that Rogers turned up at her home that morning and attempted to break in through a window. A child inside the house then let Rogers in and once inside, he pointed a gun at the woman and began assaulting her.
Police were familiar with Rogers who was on parole for attempted second-degree murder and aggravated assault. After taking the victim’s complaint, they went to Rogers’ residence to arrest him for felony domestic violence.
Police spoke with Rogers for ten minutes or so in an attempt to get him to submit to arrest. According to Capt. Stephens, the “size disparity” between the much-larger Rogers and the who officers made it difficult for them to get him to comply.
The officers tasered Rogers in hopes of subduing him, however, he escaped into a bathroom. One of the officers forced the door open and Rogers opened fire. He shot one officer in the arm and the other in the upper leg.
The injured officers retreated and a SWAT team and crisis negotiators took over, spending more than an hour trying to get Rogers to surrender while they evacuated nearby residents. At some point, a gunshot was heard from inside the house. SWAT deployed a robot camera that showed Rogers in the bathroom unresponsive.
Police went in and confirmed that Rogers was dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
According to Wichita police, the two officers, who are expected to fully recover, had both been on the force for less than a year.