In the quiet landscape of rural Cherokee County, Kansas, the life of Blaze Allen Swank Sr., a 27-year-old White / Caucasian male, was tragically cut short on Sunday, June 14, 2020. His body, along with that of 19-year-old Kylan Shook, was discovered in the early morning hours near the intersection of Northwest 19th and Cardinal Lane. Both victims had been shot, and their deaths were quickly determined to be homicides, launching an intensive investigation by the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office and the Kansas Bureau of Investigation.
Blaze, born on March 18, 1993, in Pittsburg, Kansas, had been a resident of Scammon since 2006. A 2011 graduate of Southeast High School in Cherokee, he was known as a skilled handyman with a passion for working on cars, bicycles, and radios. Described as someone who was always willing to lend a helping hand, his greatest happiness came from spending time with his three children, a son and two daughters.
The investigation into the double homicide moved swiftly. Within a day, authorities had conducted numerous interviews and executed search warrants, leading them to identify a suspect. An arrest warrant was issued for Mark Gerald Hopkins II, who was charged with capital murder. Early the following Monday morning, law enforcement located Hopkins near Fairland, Oklahoma. After a brief attempt to escape on foot, he was apprehended and taken into custody.
Ultimately, Mark Hopkins II pleaded guilty to two counts of premeditated first-degree murder. For his role in the deaths of Blaze Swank and Kylan Shook, he was sentenced to life in prison, bringing a measure of judicial closure to the tragic and violent events that unfolded on that June morning.
