On a cold January afternoon in Wichita, Kansas, a dispute over property escalated into a fatal encounter, ending the life of 20-year-old Jeremy Burdine, a Black male. The events of January 6, 2018, unfolded in the 1500 block of West Merton, where Burdine and another 20-year-old, Ky E. Jones Jr., had gone to a residence. An ongoing disagreement with the 18-year-old man who lived there had brought them to his door.
Police say Burdine and Jones were attempting to force their way into the
home when the resident, Skyler David Ryce, fired a weapon multiple times through the door. Both Burdine and Jones were struck by the gunfire. When emergency services arrived at approximately 2:45 p.m., they found the two men lying in the yard with multiple gunshot wounds. They were rushed to a local hospital, but their injuries proved fatal. An autopsy would later reveal that Burdine had been shot in the chest.
The ensuing investigation by the Wichita Police Department concluded that the shooting was an act of self-defense. As a result, Ryce was not arrested or charged in the deaths of Burdine and Jones. The case was, however, presented to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's Office for review. Although he faced no charges for the shooting, Ryce was arrested at the scene on unrelated burglary charges after investigators discovered stolen property inside his home. Authorities clarified that the stolen items were not the property that had been the subject of the dispute between the three men. This incident marked the first two homicides in Wichita for 2018 and was noted as part of an increase in self-defense killings in the city that year.
