Kansas shocked by shooting | La Presse des Prairies

Prairie Press Staff

KANSAS – Residents of the sleepy Kansas town reported hearing gunshots, sirens and the whir of helicopter rotors on Friday, June 28.

Shortly after 2 p.m., “six to seven” gunshots rang out at an apartment complex on Cook Drive, according to a nearby neighbor.

“I thought it was fireworks,” she said.

Upon arrival at the scene, police and first responders discovered two individuals suffering from gunshot wounds. Initial reports indicate that one of the individuals shot the other, before they retreated into a building and turned the gun on themselves. At the time of publication, the status of the parties involved is unknown, as is their identity.

Jeff King, a neighbor and 24-year Kansas resident, did not know the individuals involved in the shooting.

“I think they’ve only been living here about two months,” he told a Prairie Press reporter.

The shooting caused shock among residents.

“This kind of thing never happens here,” said a local firefighter at the scene.

Following a rapid response by Horizon Health EMS and Kansas Ambulance Services, an Air Evac helicopter was called and landed at the Kansas school’s baseball field shortly after 2:30 p.m. One person was airlifted to Carle Hospital in Champaign, while the other was transported by ambulance to Sarah Bush Lincoln Hospital in Mattoon.

The incident is currently under investigation by the Kansas Police Department, the Edgar County Sheriff’s Office and state authorities. The only information that law enforcement on site was able to confirm was the number of victims.

“We’re waiting for the crime scene investigators to get here and do their job,” Edgar County Sheriff Jeff Wood said.

This is an evolving story. For the latest updates and information, visit prairiepress.net.