Ferdinand Frederick "Bud" Pribbenow, a 47-year-old Caucasian male, was a 22-year veteran of the Kansas Highway Patrol. On the evening of July 11, 1981, the day after his birthday, he was on duty, patrolling the Kansas Turnpike north of El Dorado. Around 8:10 p.m., Trooper Pribbenow clocked a vehicle traveling at 98 miles per hour in a 55 mph zone and initiated a traffic stop near Oil Hill Road.
He radioed in the stop, noting the Wisconsin license plate and that the car was occupied by a single male.
As Pribbenow approached the vehicle, the driver, 23-year-old George Eric Rainey of Wisconsin, exited his car and opened fire. Pribbenow was struck in the chest and neck by bullets from a. 357 caliber handgun. A physician from Arizona was one of the first to arrive on the scene and attempted to render aid, but the trooper's injuries were fatal. Rainey stole Pribbenow's service weapon and fled the scene in his Oldsmobile.
A short time later, Rainey's vehicle was spotted at the Kellogg exit tollgate in East Wichita. A pursuit began, and about a mile into the chase, Rainey's car rammed into the back of a van that was stopped at a traffic light near the Towne East Shopping Mall. When officers ordered Rainey to get out of his car, he responded with gunfire. The officers returned fire, striking Rainey multiple times before taking him into custody.
George Eric Rainey was convicted of first-degree murder for the death of Trooper Pribbenow and aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer for the subsequent shootout. He was sentenced to life in prison. Despite the life sentence, Rainey was paroled on November 7, 2022.
