On a Monday in late September of 2009, a sense of duty called 26-year-old Sedgwick County Sheriff's Deputy Brian Scott Etheridge, a Caucasian male, to a residence on South Rock Road. He was responding to what he believed to be a routine larceny report, a call that would tragically be his last. Having served with the sheriff's office for eighteen months, the young deputy arrived at the location, ready to assist.
In a shocking and unforeseen turn of events, Deputy Etheridge was ambushed
upon his arrival. He was shot once in the back with a high-powered rifle, the bullet piercing his protective vest. Despite being severely wounded, he managed to radio for help. His attacker then closed in, taking the deputy's own service weapon and shooting him a second time. Responding officers arrived to a harrowing scene and were able to move their fallen colleague to safety. He was rushed to Wesley Medical Center for emergency surgery, but the gravity of his injuries was too severe, and he succumbed to his wounds on September 28, 2009.
The assailant, a 27-year-old male, fled the immediate area. A search was quickly underway, and law enforcement officers spotted him in a field approximately a quarter-mile from the scene of the initial shooting. As officers closed in, the suspect opened fire on them. The officers returned fire, and in the ensuing exchange, the suspect was fatally wounded. His motive for the false report and the deadly ambush of Deputy Etheridge would perish with him, leaving a community to mourn the loss of a dedicated officer and a family to grieve for a husband and father.
