UPDATE: Salina Police Chief Brad Nelson is responding to rumors about an SPD officer who was shot in the line of duty over the weekend.
According to a press release from Salina Police on Wednesday afternoon, Nelson says that there are rumors swirling around the Salina community about the potential of the officer accidentally shooting himself or being shot by a fellow officer in Sunday’s vehicle pursuit. The release even mentions a “local radio station” where the rumors became a topic of discussion.
Both Nelson and Kansas Bureau of Investigation officials say that these claims are untrue and can confirm that the officer was indeed shot by a fleeing suspect in north Salina.
The full release is below from Nelson:
“For Release: 09/02/2020 Contact: Chief Brad L. Nelson
Subject: Officer Involved Shooting
It has been brought to my attention that there are rumors in the Salina community that our officer who was injured in the shooting on 08/30/2020 either shot himself or was shot by another officer during the vehicular pursuit. This was even a topic of discussion on a local radio station this morning.
The KBI has stated that these claims are untrue. The officer was wounded by a round that came from the suspect’s vehicle.
I have been briefed by the KBI in detail regarding this incident and I can absolutely confirm that my officer was shot by a suspect from a moving vehicle on Ninth Street near Thomas Park.
In addition, the facts regarding how this officer was injured were previously released in the form of a press release on 08/30/2020 by both our department and the KBI.”
ORIGINAL: A Salina Police Officer who was shot during a high speed pursuit is out of the hospital and on the road to recovery.
According to Salina Police, Officer Cody Way was released from Salina Regional Health Center Tuesday morning. His surgery went well, and they say they are anticipating and praying for a full recovery.
The agency thanks Salina City Commissioner Dr. Trent Davis for visiting Way in the hospital. Davis is a physician at Salina Regional.
Way was involved in a high speed pursuit early Sunday morning when he was shot in the foot.
At the beginning of the pursuit, an occupant of the vehicle fired multiple gun shots at the pursuing police vehicle on North Ninth Street near Thomas Park. One of these rounds fired by the suspect struck Way in his foot.
The vehicle pursuit left the city limits of Salinaon North Ninth Street and West Pleasant Hill Road with two Salina police officers pursuing the vehicle.
During the pursuit in Saline County, officers and deputies attempted to set up vehicle tire deflating devices in front of the fleeing vehicle. They too were fired upon by occupants of the fleeing vehicle while attempting to place these tire deflating devices on Halstead Road near I-70. Both the deputy and the officer returned fire.
The fleeing vehicle left the roadway in the area of West Crawford and Halstead Roadand crashed. The occupants of the vehicle fled from the vehicle. One was caught a short time later. A second was caught several hours later east of Topeka.
