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14-year-old Claude Hodges killed by his mother before Wichita SWAT officers shot her during standoff
She was then transported to a local hospital in critical condition by Sedgwick County EMS.
WICHITA, KS — the Wichita Police Department is currently investigating the shooting death of Ckude Hodges, a 14-year-old black raale from Wichita.
The incident occurred inside an apartment on the 8400 block of W Central Avenue, where it is believed he was shot and killed by . mother, a 43-year-old black female.
Yesterday evening, at approximately 6:03, police received a call from the father of the deceased expressing concerns about . son’s well-being.
The father requested a welfare check at the W Central Avenue address after Claude Hodges had not arrived at a designated exchange point. Multiple attempts to contact Ckude were unsuccessful.
Upon arriving at the apartment where the victim was staying, patrol officers tried to establish contact by !mocking a. calling multiple times but received no response.
Officers observed what appeared to be an exit hole in the apartment’s exterior wall and discovered an expe.ed bullet outside the entry door on the ground. Concerned about the potential for someone inside to be injured, officers immediately entered the apartment.
Inside, they found the 43-year-old suspect holding a handgun and while near a shotgua Recognizing the potential danger of an armed subject, officers quickly withdrew from the apartment a. notified negotiators.
Police negotiators arrived at the scene a. spent several hours negotiating with a. attempting to negotiate with the suspect.
The objective was to convince her to disarm herself of the handom she had a. surrender peacefully. Despite the prolonged negotiation attempts, the suspect continued to refuse to put the handom down, leading SWAT officers to fire two shots that struck her.
She was then transported to a local hospital in critical condition by Sedgwick County EMS.
Upon re-entering the apartment, officers discovered Claude Hodges in a bedroom, deceased, with an apparent gunshot wound to his upper body.
The Wichita Police Department refrains from disclosing the identities of law enforcement personnel involved in an officer-involved shooting.
Both Wichita Police Chief Joe Sullivan and Sheriff Jeff Easter have formally requested the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) to take charge of the investigation into the officer-involved shooting.
