NESS COUNTY – The Kansas Bureau of Investigation is investigating an officer-involved shooting that occurred Tuesday morning outside a residence in Ransom. The following statement was issued by the KBI:

The Ness County Sheriff’s Office requested the KBI investigate the shooting on Aug. 8, just before 10 a.m. KBI agents and the Crime Scene Response Team (CSRT) responded to the scene.

Preliminary information indicates that on Tuesday morning, 911 calls were placed indicating a man was armed with a firearm and making threats inside a residence at an unknown address in Ransom. Deputies pinpointed the exact house where the domestic disturbance was occurring, and multiple sheriff’s deputies responded to the scene at 207 S. Vermont St. A sheriff’s deputy began talking to the armed man on the phone. They identified the man as Jesse L. Nicholls, 46, of Ransom.

The deputy eventually convinced Nicholls to come out of the house. When Nicholls came out and into the front yard, he initially complied with commands to put the pistol he was carrying down, but then picked it up and fired toward the ground. Immediately upon Nicholls’ firing of the weapon, a deputy from the Ness County Sheriff’s Office fired multiple times striking Nicholls.

EMS, who had been staged in the area, quickly responded and attempted life-saving measures. They transported Nicholls to the Grisell Memorial Hospital. Medical intervention was unsuccessful, and Nicholls was pronounced dead at the hospital. No deputies were injured during the shooting.

The KBI will conduct a thorough and independent investigation into this incident. Once the investigation concludes, the findings will be turned over to the Ness County Attorney for review.

This investigation is ongoing. No further information will be released at this time.