On the evening of August 11, 2025, a violent encounter in Wichita, Kansas, claimed the life of Terri Stidham, a 46-year-old White / Caucasian woman. The incident unfolded around 7:15 p.m. outside Wesley Medical Center in the 500 block of North Hillside, creating a scene of heavy police presence at the intersection of Central and Hillside. First responders discovered Stidham with a gunshot wound to her upper body.
She was rushed into the nearby hospital for surgery, but tragically, she did not survive her injuries.
According to police reports, Stidham was the driver of a vehicle with her ex-husband, 47-year-old Robert John Schoenberger Jr., in the passenger seat. A "rolling disturbance" inside the car escalated, prompting Stidham to exit the vehicle in front of the hospital. It was then that Schoenberger, still inside the car, fired at her, causing her to collapse in the middle of the intersection in front of multiple witnesses. Stidham, a Wichita native, was a mother to six children.
Immediately following the shooting, Wichita police identified Schoenberger as the suspect and began a citywide search, describing him as armed and dangerous. Authorities also noted that Schoenberger was on parole and had recently removed his ankle monitor. His criminal history included seven convictions in Sedgwick County for offenses such as theft, arson, burglary, and aggravated indecent liberties with a child.
The manhunt for Schoenberger concluded the next day, August 12, when officers tracked him to an apartment in the 2300 block of North Somerset in north Wichita. A lengthy standoff ensued, with SWAT and crisis negotiators surrounding the building for hours in an attempt to have him surrender peacefully. After multiple failed attempts to make contact, including the use of chemical munitions, a drone was deployed inside the apartment. The drone located Schoenberger in a bathroom with what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He was pronounced deceased at the scene at 4:47 p.m., bringing a grim end to the search. As the sole suspect died by suicide, no arrests were made, and police considered the homicide case closed.
