LAWRENCE, Kan. — A Lawrence man suspected in two shootings and injuring a police officer Monday night may face a judge on Thursday.
Tommy John May, 58, has not been officially charged yet but is in the Douglas County Jail on suspicion of second-degree attempted murder and criminal possession of a weapon by a felon.
Police said they were called to a four-plex at 713 West 25th Street just after 9:30 p.m. on a reported shooting.
When officers got there, they found two victims suffering from gunshot wounds. They were taken to the hospital with possibly life-threatening injuries.
"We saw him. He was walking like this out to his SUV and then he took off down the road in a green SUV," neighbor Katie Porter said.
Porter said she's seen May at the four-plex before and said he lives there. Police haven't confirmed this information.
Five minutes after the shooting call, a responding LPD officer was driving in the area when they spotted May driving a green SUV. The officer tried to conduct a traffic stop near 21st and Louisiana, but May rammed the SUV into the officer's squad car and into the officer.
The officer fired their gun and May took off running. Officers caught him a little later at 22nd and Ohio Street. Both the officer and suspect were taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries and later released.
"We got down and heard four or five gunshots. We were like ahh. The dog was going wild, barking. We crawled to the back. We didn't know what was happening," said Taylor Weakland, who lives in the home closest to where the car crashed.
This morning, @LawrenceKS_PD continues to investigate a shooting on 25th Street near Belle Haven. Two people were hurt here. Police say the suspected shooter crashed into an officer's squad car as they tried to escape. Officers eventually got the suspect in custody pic.twitter.com/ZOLXW6Sn9e
— Charlie Keegan (@CharlieKeegan41) July 3, 2018
The officer has been released from the hospital and placed on paid administrative leave while the incident is being investigated.
Lawrence police said The Kansas Bureau of Investigation will be handling the officer-involved shooting investigation. Lawrence police will look into the shooting that occurred on West 25th.
Anyone with information about the officer-involved incident is asked to call the KBI at 785-296-8283. Anyone with information about the shooting on West 25th is asked to call the Lawrence Police Department at 785-832-7509.
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