SABETHA (KSNT) – A Sabetha man who used a nail gun to shoot at police has been hospitalized after they returned fire, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation said Thursday.
The KBI released more details after it began looking into a reported police shooting Wednesday night in the town spanning through Brown and Nemaha Counties. The agency said the Sabetha Police Department and Nemaha County Sheriff’s Office both sent teams to a report of a man threatening suicide around 7:45 p.m. Law enforcement tried to talk Kelly J. Hall, 38, out of a home at 319 N. 9th St. to make sure he was alright. When he wouldn’t come out, the KBI said the two agencies used a PA system to talk to him more.
SPD officers later heard pops coming from inside the home. Hall then came out the front door with an air-powered nail gun. After officers and deputies told him to drop the nail gun, Hall shot nails in their direction, according to the KBI. A Nemaha County deputy and an SPD officer both shot back at Hall and hit him around 9:45 p.m.
Hall moved back inside the home after the shooting, and officers and deputies followed behind him to try and treat his injuries. After medical crews got to the scene, the KBI said they took Hall to the Sabetha Community Hospital and later to Stormont Vail in Topeka. At the last update Thursday evening, Hall was in critical but stable condition.
No deputies or officers were hurt during the encounter with Hall, according to the KBI. Its agents and Crime Scene Response Team are now investigating what happened independently, and will then turn over their findings to the Nemaha County attorney.