HESSTON, Kan. — One of the three people killed in yesterday’s shooting at the Excel plant in Hesston was a Buhler native.
Thirty-one-year-old Josh Higbee, whose Facebook page indicated he lived in Wichita, was once a Buhler resident and attended Buhler High School from 2001 until 2003, according to USD 313 Superintendent Mike Berblinger.
Higbee was one of the three killed when 38-year-old Cedric Ford opened fire just after 5 p.m. The other two confirmed deaths, according to the Harvey County Sheriff’s Office, are 44-year-old Brian Sadowsky and 30-year-old Renee Benjamin.
HESSTON, Kan. (AP) — The Latest on a shooting at a Kansas business (all times local):
The police chief in Hesston is being credited with chasing and fatally shooting a man suspected of killing three people and wounding 15 others during a shooting rampage at a local factory.
Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback said Friday that investigators believe Hesston Police Chief Doug Schroeder shot the suspected gunman, Cedric Ford, and likely stopped him from harming more people at the Excel Industries plant on Thursday.
Investigators say 200 to 300 people were in the factory at the time.
The governor says Schroeder “seized the situation,” adding: “God bless him for doing it.”
Harvey County Sheriff T. Walton didn’t identify Schroeder during a news conference after the shooting, but said the officer who stopped the gunman was a “tremendous hero” because the “shooter wasn’t done by any means.”
2:10 p.m.
A Kansas judge issued a temporary order of protection earlier this month against the man accused of killing three people and wounding 14 at a Kansas factory.
Authorities say 38-year-old Cedric Ford attacked the Excel Industries plant Thursday before being killed by a police officer.
Sedgwick County records show that a woman sought an order of protection against a Cedric Spain on Feb. 5. But when a judge issued the temporary order that day, he filed it against Cedric Ford and listed Ford’s address at the Excel plant.
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1 p.m.
President Barack Obama says the U.S. cannot become numb to mass shootings occurring once a week in the U.S.
Obama offered his condolences to the victims and families affected by Thursday’s attacks at a factory in Hesston, Kansas. He says he spoke with Hesston Mayor David Kaufman to convey his sympathies.
The president noted that the Kansas attacks follow a rampage last weekend in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
Obama says Congress has no appetite to do something about gun violence, but the U.S. needs a Congress that does.
The president says the real tragedy is that this kind of violence has become routine. He spoke in Jacksonville, Florida, during an event about the economy.
12:35 p.m.
Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback says preliminary information indicates Hesston Police Chief Doug Schroeder is the one who shot and killed the gunman suspected of killing three people at a factory.
Brownback told reporters Friday that Schroeder apparently shot and killed Cedric Ford in the Excel Industries building Thursday evening.
The governor says Schroeder didn’t wait for backup and “seized the situation.” He says “without his aggressive response,” more people would have been at risk.
According to Schroeder’s LinkedIn page, he’s been chief of Hesston since 1998.
11:30 a.m.
Ford from his facebook page
The Facebook page of a Cedric Ford who worked at the Kansas factory that was the scene of multiple shootings includes pictures of a man posing with a long gun and another of a handgun in a man’s lap.
Authorities say Ford is the man who shot 15 people, killing three, at the Excel Industries plant Thursday in Hesston. He was shot and killed by a police officer.
Recent posts on the Facebook page also include music videos of rappers in Miami, photos of cars and pictures of a trip to the zoo with children posted in January.
The last posts were on Tuesday, including one where Ford says “Woke up this morning vibing God is good.”
10 a.m.
A man whose son was wounded in an attack at a Kansas factory says his son told him that when the shooting started, people were yelling “gas fire, gas fire.”
Dennis Britton Sr. says his son, Dennis Britton Jr., said he stepped away from his welding bay Thursday at the Excel Industries lawnmower parts factory in Hesston when somebody hollered at him. He says his son heard a pop and then went to the ground.
Britton Sr., who is also a welder at the factory, says his son’s right leg was severely fractured by a gunshot and that he’s being treated at a hospital in Wichita, which is about 30 miles south of Hessman.
Authorities say Cedric Ford wounded three people before he stormed into the plant and shot 15 more, killing three of them. A police officer shot and killed Ford during a shootout.
9:20 a.m.
A co-worker says the man who attacked the Kansas lawnmower parts plant left work early without explanation before showing up hours later armed with a rifle.
Matt Jarrell says he and 38-year-old Cedric Ford worked “hand-in-hand” as painters on the second shift at the Excel Industries factory in Hesston. He says Ford arrived as scheduled on Thursday but later disappeared and wasn’t there to relieve him so that he could take a break.
Jarrell told The Associated Press on Friday that someone else eventually spelled him and that he was sitting in his truck in the parking lot when he saw Ford drive up in a truck that wasn’t his. Jarrell says he sped away when he saw Ford shoot someone and then enter the building.
Authorities say Ford wounded three people before storming into the building and shooting 15 others, killing three of them. A police officer killed Ford during a shootout.
8:40 a.m.
Ford- courtesy photo
Authorities have identified a man who opened fire on the central Kansas factory where he worked, killing three people and wounding many others, as 38-year-old Cedric Ford.
Harvey County Sheriff T. Walton said Friday that Ford was served with a protection from abuse order about 90 minutes before the attacks began Thursday evening. He says Ford shot and wounded three people before storming the Excel Industries lawnmower parts factory in Hesston and shooting 15 others, killing three of them. A police officer killed Ford during an exchange of gunfire.
Public records show that Ford has several previous offenses in Florida over the last decade, including burglary, grand theft and fleeing from an officer. Online records show he was released from the custody of the Florida Department of Corrections in February 2007.
In Kansas, he had a misdemeanor conviction in a 2008 fighting or brawling case and various traffic violations from 2014 and 2015.
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Law enforcement on the scene of Thursday’s shooting in Hesston- courtesy photo
7 a.m.
Authorities say a man who opened fire on the central Kansas factory where he worked was served with a protection from abuse order shortly before the attack.
Harvey County Sheriff T. Walton said Friday that the sheriff’s office served the suspect with the order at around 3:30 p.m. Thursday and that he thinks it was likely what triggered the attack, which began about 90 minutes later.
He says such orders are typically served “because there’s some type of violence in a relationship,” but he declined to specify the nature of the relationship in question or to disclose the attacker’s name.
Pickett says the suspect shot two people while driving to the Excel Industries plant in Hesston where he worked and shot another person in the parking lot before going inside. He says the man shot 15 others in the lawnmower parts factory, killing three of them, before a Hesston police officer shot him dead.
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6:30 a.m.
A sheriff says the police officer who shot and killed a gunman who was attacking the central Kansas factory where he worked is a “tremendous hero.”
Harvey County Sheriff T. Walton said Friday that had the Hesston police officer not killed the man during the Thursday evening attack at the Excel Industries lawnmower parts plant, it “would be a whole lot more tragic.”
He says there were still 200 or 300 other people in the factory and that “the shooter wasn’t done by any means.”
Walton didn’t identify the officer or the attacker.
Authorities say the attacker shot and wounded three people before storming into the factory, where he shot 15 others, killing three of them, before the officer killed him.
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11:30 p.m.
Authorities have ended a standoff at the home of a man suspected of killing three people and injuring 14 others in south-central Kansas.
Harvey County Sheriff T. Walton said authorities believed the roommate of the suspect may have been inside the home. Walton said earlier Thursday that the suspect was killed by law enforcement officers after he opened fire at the Excel Industries plant in Hesston.
Eric McDaniel, spokeswoman for the city of Newton, said late Thursday that the standoff ended and no one else was found in the home.
Authorities have not identified the suspect.
The injured include 10 people who were reported to be in critical condition late Thursday.
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9:25 p.m.
Authorities say they have surrounded the home of a man suspected of fatally shooting three people and injuring 14 others in a series of attacks in south-central Kansas.
Harvey County Sheriff T. Walton said at a news conference that authorities believe the roommate of the suspect may be inside the home. Walton said earlier Thursday that the suspect was killed by law enforcement officers.
Erin McDaniel, a spokeswoman for the city of Newton, said when law enforcement officers arrived, they heard loud music blaring from the home and no one answered the door.
The nearby Newton Medical Center has been locked down since about 8 p.m., with people not allowed to enter or leave, spokeswoman Leslie Helmer says. She says it was a precaution “due to police activity in the area.”
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9 p.m.
A sheriff says four people, including a gunman, are dead after a series of shootings in south-central Kansas.
Harvey County Sheriff T. Walton gave the updated death count at a news conference Thursday night.
Walton says all the dead were shot inside Excel Industries, which makes lawn mower products, in Hesston. He says law enforcement killed the suspect, who was an employee.
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8:00 p.m.
A sheriff says four to seven people, including a gunman, are dead after a series of shootings in south-central Kansas.
Harvey County Sheriff T. Walton tells KAKE-TV “anywhere from four to seven” people were killed and between 20 to 30 people were shot Thursday.
Walton says the attacks occurred at a plant that manufactures lawn mower products, a parking lot outside the plant and two other locations. Walton says the attacks were connected and that the suspect traveled between the sites and fired from his car.
Walton says a law enforcement officer killed the suspect, who was or had been an employee of Excel Industries. The suspect wasn’t immediately identified.
Walton says he doesn’t know if the man was still working there or had been fired.
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7:50 p.m.
An employee of the Kansas company where a gunman opened fire says he was in the plant during the shooting when he heard people yelling to get out of the building.
Harvey County authorities say up to four people may have been killed and up to 20 injured in the shooting Thursday at Excel Industries in Hesston.
Martin Espinoza told The Associated Press he heard a popping sound and then saw the shooter, who Espinoza says was a co-worker.
Espinoza says the shooter pointed a gun at him and pulled the trigger, but the gun was empty. He says at that point, the shooter got a different gun and Martin took off running.
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7:15 p.m.
A sheriff in south-central Kansas says authorities “don’t have a lot of answers” in connection to a series of attacks that included a shooting at a business in Hesston.
Harvey County Sheriff T. Walton spoke during a news conference Thursday evening, calling the shooting earlier in the day at Excel Industries “just a horrible incident.” Walton says, “There’s going to be a lot of sad people before this is over.”
He says the sheriff’s office is investigating the attacks along with the FBI and Kansas Bureau of Investigation.
Walton says it’s possible “as many” as three to four people are dead, including a suspect. He says the suspect was an Excel employee and was shot and killed.
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6:45 p.m.
Harvey County Sheriff T. Walton says it’s possible “as many” as three to four people are dead, including a suspect, and up to 20 people may be injured after a series of attacks in Hesston, Kansas.
Walton said at a news conference Thursday evening that there are “a number of crime scenes involved,” including the Excel Industries plant where dispatchers earlier said they were responding to a shooting.
Walton says the suspect was an Excel employee. He says the suspect was shot and killed.
Walton says the scene at Excel Industries has been secured.
6:25 p.m.
A college near a Kansas company where authorities are responding to a shooting has been locked down.
Jim Mason, Hesston College’s director of facilities, says faculty and staff are being kept indoors as a precaution until it’s clear a suspect is in custody. The lockdown began at about 5:20 p.m. Thursday.
Hesston is a few blocks from the Excel Industries plant where a Harvey County sheriff’s dispatcher says a shooting occurred.
Hesston College has about 450 students and is affiliated with the Mennonite Church USA.
HESSTON, Kan. (AP) — Authorities say they have responded to a shooting at a business that makes lawn mower products in south-central Kansas.
A Harvey County sheriff’s dispatcher says the shooting occurred Thursday afternoon at Excel Industries in Hesston. The dispatcher, who would not give her name, said authorities were still at the scene Thursday evening.
Hesston is a community of about 3,700 residents about 35 miles north of Wichita.
KSN-TV cameras showed a large law enforcement presence at the facility and at least one person being loaded into an ambulance.
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The 33-year-old man who waived his preliminary hearing and entered a plea in a marijuana distribution case was sentenced Thursday to just over 12 years in prison.
Gerardo Saucedo entered pleas in the case as charged and was sentenced to prison by Judge Tim Chambers.
Saucedo was arrested after a search warrant was served on his home and he was convicted of possession of marijuana with intent to sell, possession of drug paraphernalia with intent to distribute, and no drug tax stamp.
He had around 90 pounds of marijuana in brick form believed to be from Mexico. But they also found numerous containers of high-grade marijuana that were found scattered throughout the home, as well as new packaging materials, a digital scale and some weapons.
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Kansas City Royals Trophy Tour made a stop in Hutchinson Wednesday and was greeted with large crowds for the two hours it was in the Meadowlark Building on the Kansas State Fairgrounds. Long lines were the rule to have their picture taken with the trophy.
If you watch Royals broadcasts, you may have seen KayCee, the man who puts the W up the board when the Royals win a game. He explained how the concept of putting the big W on the board after each Royals win came about.
“In the 2013 season, went 10 games over 500 and I thought the 2014 season was going to be a good season, thinking we might make the playoffs, having no idea we would go all the way to the World Series, so let’s do something fun and we kicked around a lot of ideas and came up with the W,” KayCee said.
After the event in Hutchinson, the tour was off to Topeka for the next stop. No players were at the event because, of course, the World Champion Kansas City Royals are busy now with spring training. KayCee says it’s been fun seeing the fans across the Midwest, calling the team a Midwest team.
You’ll be able to hear Royals games again this season on Eagle Radio Station KWBW — 1450 AM and 98.5 FM.
Opening Day is on April 3, and ironically, they play the New York Mets for their first series of the season. The Royals defeated the Mets in the World Series last year.
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Reno County Commissioners approved the employment agreement with 26-year-old Adam Weishaar, who will leave the Hutchinson Police Department to become the new Emergency Management Director.
Weishaar has plenty of experience working with Emergency Management with the Kansas Air National Guard. He says that experience will help him with working into the position with the county.
He will be paid roughly $64,000 and will start the position around the middle of March. He will leave the police department on March 10.
The position has been vacant since Bill Guy retired in 2014 and has been run by Todd Strain, who is the Emergency Planner. Weishaar tells us he will stay in that position.
He says he wants to see where things are with Emergency Management planning and get input with what the county needs.
Weishaar is a native of the Wichita area and is married with a 3-year-old daughter.
Crews work a Sunday fire in Harvey County- photo Newton police
HARVEY COUNTY – Fire officials in Harvey County reminded residents that
hazardous fire conditions continue to impact the area as dry conditions persist throughout the region, according to a social media report from Newton Police.
On Sunday Newton Fire and Emergency Medical Service along with mutual aid partners from Sedgwick Co. Fire and Sedgwick Fire/EMS, worked together to make a quick stop on a grass fire Interstate 135.
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Parents in Hutchinson USD 308 are being asked to have a conversation with their children about a decades-old practice that goes by various names, including the “choking game.”
The district has seen a recent uptick in student reports of the game. Essentially, one youth will hold the neck of another until the second student passes out because of the lack of oxygen. The activity also can be done by one person. In this case, a student will choke themselves with a scarf, belt or rope, tying it onto a door, a bedpost or other object. Students who participate in such activities receive counseling from district staff and are disciplined according to school policy.
Below is information that was sent to parent in Hutchinson Middle School this year when students were reporting an earlier uptick in activity. The information is from a CDC podcast on the choking game.
Important – Choking Game – Please Read and Discuss with your Children
A MINUTE OF HEALTH WITH CDC
The Choking Game Can Be Deadly “Choking Game” Deaths Among Youth Aged 6–19 Years — United States
This program is presented by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – safer, healthier people.
It’s called the “choking game,” but it’s no game, and there are no winners. Some kids are choking themselves or each other, by hand or with some form of noose. The intent is to get a high, caused by a temporary lack of oxygen to the brain. Tragically, this so-called ‘game’ sometimes goes too far and results in death.
Parents should be aware of the warning signs of the choking game. Mention of the choking game or one of the many names it goes by can be a sign, and bloodshot eyes, marks on the neck, and ropes, belts, or scarves tied to bedposts or doorknobs are other clues. If your child is participating in the choking game, let them know that the game can be deadly.
Thank you for joining us on A Minute of Health with CDC. To access the most accurate and relevant health information that affects you, your family and your community, please visit www.cdc.gov.
This Afternoon…Sunny, with a high near 72. Northwest wind 10 to 15 mph becoming southwest. Winds could gust as high as 20 mph.
Tonight…Partly cloudy, with a low around 42. South southeast wind 5 to 10 mph.
Saturday…Mostly sunny, with a high near 72. South southeast winds 5 to 10 mph becoming north northwest in the afternoon.
Saturday Night…Mostly clear, with a low around 38. North northwest wind 5 to 10 mph.
Sunday…Sunny, with a high near 58. North wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 24 mph.
Sunday Night…Partly cloudy, with a low around 30.
Monday…Partly sunny, with a high near 53.
Monday Night…A slight chance of rain before midnight, then a slight chance of rain and snow. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 33. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
Tuesday…A chance of rain and snow before 9am, then a chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 51. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
Tuesday Night…Partly cloudy, with a low around 29.
Wednesday…Sunny, with a high near 52.
Wednesday Night…Mostly clear, with a low around 30.
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — A nice gathering showed up at the Sports Arena to celebrate the signing of the
new contract between the American Legion and the NJCAA that will keep the men’s basketball tournament here for the next 25 years.
The contract was put together following a promise from the college organization that they would keep the tournament here if improvements were made to the arena, which is now a reality.
It also means a long-term commitment for the American Legion. Tournament Director Jerry Ricksecker says they are ready to fulfill the contract with special wording in place if that were to change. The contract calls for a provision for the Legion to partner with another organization or even pass it on to another entity if they cannot fulfill their obligation.
Monday’s ceremony included comments from NJCAA Executive Director Mary Ellen Leicht, City Manager John Deardoff, and Chamber President Jason Ball.
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Of the ten components that make up the first round of bids for the Hutchinson Sports Arena project, two local contractors will get a share of the work.
The concrete work for the project will be done by Miller Home Builders of Hutchinson at $1,222,885. The other was for the dirt excavation, with Paul’s Excavating awarded the work at a bid of just over $681,000. Most of the remaining bid winners were from the Wichita area with a couple from out of state.
Construction Manager JE Dunn says they were pleased with the regional interest in the bid package and expect more local companies bidding on the second phase of the project, which involves 24 different components to bid on.
was a Buhler native. 
