The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) is investigating after a homicide, police pursuit, and apparent suicide took place in Barton and Stafford counties.
It began just after 9:00 a.m. Friday morning when officers were called to the 1500 block of 7th St., in Great Bend on a disturbance call.
When officers arrived, they learned from witnesses that Mario Martinez-Garcia, 32, entered the workplace of Esmeralda Torres-Lopez, 32, forcing her outside where he then shot her. EMS transported the woman to an area hospital where she was pronounced dead
The Barton County Sheriff’s Office then requested the KBI investigate and the Crime Scene Response Team responded.
Preliminary information indicates that Martinez-Garcia fled the scene in a white 2021 Chevy Silverado. Nearby detectives from the Great Bend Police Department spotted the truck speeding away, and a vehicle pursuit ensued. Law enforcement from several additional agencies joined the pursuit. Law enforcement officers deployed a tire deflation device. Then a deputy from the Barton County Sheriff’s Office conducted a tactical vehicle intervention causing the pickup truck to leave
the roadway and hit a barbed-wire fence. The truck came to rest in a field near mile marker 191 on Highway 50 in Stafford County.
Officers carefully approached the truck to gain sight of the driver. Martinez-Garcia was found deceased inside the truck. He had a gunshot wound to his head, and was holding a handgun. The coroner pronounced him dead on scene.
No law enforcement officers were injured during the incident. Autopsies will be conducted.
The KBI will conduct a thorough investigation into these incidents. Once completed, findings will be presented to the Stafford County Attorney for review. The investigation is ongoing.