Authorities are investigating a shooting that occurred late Tuesday morning that sent the victim to a Wichita hospital, Great Bend Police Chief Cliff Couch said.
The victim, identified as Austin Amos, was allegedly shot by Dallas Mills during an incident at 11:20 a.m. Tuesday in the 1200 Block of 10th St. in Great Bend, Couch said.
According to the Great Bend Police Department, Amos was taken to the Great Bend regional Medical Center by another party were he was treated and later flown to Wesley Medical Center in Wichita. His condition as of presstime was unknown.
Although Mills is in custody, Couch said the weapon used remains missing.
“Our greatest concern right now is finding this gun before a child happens upon it and gets hurt. We’d ask that the public be on the lookout for this weapon, which was probably thrown out of the vehicle somewhere on the way to the hospital. It would likely be in a ditch or near a roadway,” Couch said. “The department asks that anyone who might see the weapon contact Barton County Dispatch at 911 and not touch it,”

The incident
Through the course of the investigation, officers came to believe that Amos had been shot by Mills while inside the victim’s truck.
As officers were searching for Mills and the vehicle, Barton County Dispatch received information from a citizen indicating that the vehicle had been abandoned near the intersection of Fifth and Morphy streets.
Officers established a perimeter around the area and deployed Kia, one of the GBPD’s patrol dogs. Kia tracked a scent from the area of the truck to an abandoned house nearby. Officers noticed that the door to the house appeared to have been kicked in, so they announced that they would send in the dog to search the house if the person didn’t surrender. At that point, Mills announced that he was in the building.
He advised that he didn’t want to come out because he was scared. After officers talked with him for a short time, Mills exited and surrendered, and was taken into custody without any harm or incident.
“I’m thankful to work with such a dedicated group of professionals who can handle situations such as this one,” Couch said. “The officers of the GBPD and the deputies at the Barton County Sheriff’s Office worked tirelessly to ensure that this case was resolved quickly and that the public was safe.”
As of late Tuesday afternoon, the investigation continued and officers were interviewing involved parties, Couch said. Decisions regarding specific charging recommendations will be made after more facts of the case are learned.