Off-duty officer credited with stopping shooting suspect
By Kate Devine
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WICHITA, Kansas (KAKE) — An off-duty Great Bend police officer is being praised for stopping an armed suspect during Friday’s shooting outside Towne East Square.
School resource officer Paul Millard was shopping with his wife on the west side of the mall when he heard yelling and saw several juveniles fighting.
“It appeared that the fight had got broken up, so me and my wife continued to our car, and probably two, three steps, we heard several gunshots ring out,” Millard said.
Millard told his wife to get to their car before running toward the shots.
“As I got to the corner of the building, I saw three male subjects coming towards me. I observed one of them with a firearm, so I drew my pistol, identified myself as a police officer, and told him to drop the weapon and get on the ground.”
Wichita police arrested three teens in connection to the shooting. The primary suspect, a 17-year-old boy, faces two counts of attempted first-degree murder, two counts of aggravated battery and one count of criminal use of weapons. The other two suspects, both 16, were booked for disorderly conduct.
Police said two juveniles, ages 15 and 17, were wounded when the primary suspect continued firing after they were on the ground. Wichita Police Chief Joe Sullivan called Millard “incredibly brave” and said his actions likely prevented more people from being hurt.
“We’re grateful for the off-duty officer and the very quick response of the Wichita Police Department, that this did not result in further tragedy,” Sullivan said Friday.
“I’m not one for the spotlight, it’s just kind of who I am. I tend to help people out if they need help. That’s the way I was brought up in my household: to help others who need help. So for me, it wasn’t a question of if I would, it was when I was,” Millard told KAKE News Tuesday.
Millard said he acted out of training, duty and faith. “God has a plan for all of us,” he said. “For me, He brought me into law enforcement. He’s given me these skills and these abilities and the desire to want to go help people.”
The investigation is ongoing as police work to determine how the teens obtained the high-powered weapon.
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