A suspect was arrested on a possible attempted murder charge on Thursday, after a man who had been shot in the face walked into Great Bend Regional Hospital.
Officers were dispatched to the 1400 block of Adams St. at 9:29 a.m. after receiving a report of shots fired in the area. They had talked to several witnesses and cleared the scene when a man walked into the hospital with “a minor gunshot wound to the face,” according to Lt. Bill Browne at the Great Bend Police Department.
Six hours earlier, a woman delivering Thursday’s Great Bend Tribune to homes in the neighborhood told police that an unknown male had fired a gun at her vehicle in the 1400 block of Jackson St., just four blocks from the Adams St. incident. No one was injured in that case, and while Browne said the incidents did not appear to be related, that possibility had not been ruled out. “We’re still investigating,” he said Thursday afternoon.
In the Adams St. incident, officers were able to locate several witnesses who said an unknown male walked up to the residence and shot several rounds at the house before leaving in a tan sport utility vehicle. Officers did not find any damage to the house and did not find a victim at the scene, but the victim soon appeared at the hospital. After interviewing him there, an officer was able to get a vehicle description and a possible name of a suspect.
Kansas Highway Patrol and deputies from the Barton County Sheriff’s Office located the vehicle at a residence east of Ellinwood; it was impounded and one man was taken into custody. Browne said Thursday afternoon that authorities were “looking for other subjects that may possibly be involved.” No names were released.

No obvious connection
The woman who was delivering newspapers with her adult son reportedly didn’t know the men who approached her, and she did not know the victim of the shooting, Browne said. She reported being stopped by a “white and red Blazer or Bronco” at 3:23 a.m. in the 1400 block of Jackson St., and then seeing two men get out of that vehicle.
“The victim said one of the (males) pointed a gun at them and (as) they drove away the suspect also fired a shot at them,” according to a statement from Sgt. Gary Davis at the police department.
No arrest was made. The police issued an Attempt To Locate bulletin for the vehicle.
As the investigation on both cases continues, police are asking anyone with information to call the GBPD, 620-793-4120. Tips may also be made anonymously by calling Crime Stoppers, 792-1300.