The Great Bend Police Department has released the name of the man who was fatally shot last Friday at 2402 Williams St. He has been identified as Jeremy Saldana, 39, of San Angelo, Texas.
Saldana was reportedly shot with a handgun during an altercation with another man at the house around 8:40 p.m.
Authorities arrested Freddie Thomas, 49, of Lincoln, who was booked into the Barton County Jail on Saturday on a charge of first degree murder. As of Tuesday afternoon, he remained in custody in lieu of $1 million bond.
Authorities say Saldana and Thomas knew each other.
A woman who lives nearby reported she heard gunshots that night as she was backing out of her driveway. But she didn’t see who was firing or who was shot.
Thomas had been an employee of Ellsworth Correctional Facility since September 2014, but has been placed on administrative leave, said ECF’s Todd Britton. He worked part-time at the prison entry, where the metal detectors are. He also worked part-time on perimeter watch, driving a vehicle.
The investigation is being led by the Great Bend Police Department with assistance from the Kansas Bureau of Investigation and the Barton County Sheriff’s Office.
Anyone who may have witnessed this incident is requested to contact the Great Bend Police Department’s Detective Unit, 620-793-4120.