An undated photo of the Burden One Stop convivence store. This is not a crime scene photo. (Photo courtesy Google Maps)
A bystander at the Burden One Stop Wednesday – who was witnessing a police officer reaching into the driver’s window of a Winfield man’s moving pickup – drew a gun and shot two rounds into the back of the suspect’s vehicle during a flee attempt, according to the Burden Police Department Thursday.
No one was struck or injured.
The suspect, Chad Parker, 38, of Winfield, was arrested after a pursuit that lasted over half an hour, and ended in the northeast corner of rural Cowley County with the assistance of Cowley County Sheriff’s Deputies.
According to the Kansas Department of Corrections, Parker has three active Harper County warrants for theft and opiate possession for offenses that occurred in October and November 2020.
Parker is listed by KDOC as an absconder, or on the run from legal jurisdiction, since April.
Burden Chief of Police Ron Cannon told KSOK-NewsCow that an investigation into the incident is ongoing and did not rule out the possibility of additional charges.
Cannon identified the bystander as a Burden resident who happened to be at the convivence store. A name was not released.
“He was in fairly close proximity,” Cannon said about the bystander’s place at the scene. “Still on the property of the One Stop.”
Parker (Photo courtesy KDOC)
When asked about the oddity of the incident, Cannon said he thought the bystander was concerned with the safety, support and welfare of law enforcement.
“No, you don’t see that happen very often — especially in this day and age,” Cannon said. “That was a good citizen, that’s all I can say, at the time. I thought he was doing the right thing, from what he observed and what he saw.”
Cannon called the incident very uncommon and was thankful no one was injured.
“I would say he was average,” Cannon said when asked about the bystander’s marksmanship. “Nobody got hurt.”
“At the moment, and what he observed, he felt he was doing the right thing,” Cannon said. “There was no property damage…. it came out as best as you would expect.”
Cowley County Sheriff David Falletti told KSOK-NewsCow Thursday that Parker was stopped at the conclusion of the pursuit near or at a pasture in the northeastern corner of the county, near the Elk and Butler County lines.
When asked about the way the incident began, with shots fired at the suspect vehicle by a bystander, Falletti said it was fortunate it ended with everyone safe and unharmed.
“Would have been a totally different story if somebody got hurt,” he said.
According to a news release from the department, officers responded to the Burden One Stop, 120 E. 5th, Burden, at approximately 2:53 p.m. Wednesday with a Harper County warrant to arrest a Winfield man, Chad Parker, who was reported as being at that location.
When officers attempted to make the arrest, Parker jumped into his truck, and in the process, the officer reached into the driver’s window to get Parker to stop.
While this was happening, the BPD said a civilian, witnessing the incident and fearing for the officer’s safety, shot two rounds into the back of the truck, driven by Parker.
Burden police became involved in a vehicle pursuit and were later joined by deputies with the Cowley County Sheriff’s Office.
The pursuit lasted for approximately 35 minutes before Parker stopped in the 34000 block of 2nd Road where he was taken into custody without further incident.
Parker was transported by Cowley County Sheriff’s Deputies to the Cowley County Jail.
He has no-bond warrants out of Harper County and will be facing multiple charges out of Cowley County to include Felony Flee and Elude and Interference with Law Enforcement.
“Hopefully in the near future we can be a little more detailed about what we can release to the news media,” Cannon said.
