Man kills partner outside Great Bend restaurant before shooting self during pursuit, official says

By Michael Stavola – The Wichita Eagle (TNS)

Dec. 27—A 32-year-old man forced his partner from the Great Bend restaurant where she was working Friday morning, then fatally shot her before killing himself during a pursuit by officers, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation said.

Mario Martinez-Garcia was found dead in a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado of an “apparent suicide” after a multi-county pursuit that included successful use of a tire-deflation device and the Silverado being rammed by a deputy’s cruiser, KBI spokesperson Natalie Turner said.

Martinez-Garcia left the road and hit a barbed-wire fence before stopping in a field in Stafford County. He had a gunshot wound to his head and was holding a handgun, Turner said.

The call started at 9:12 a.m. in the 1500 block of Seventh Street in Great Bend, where a Mexican restaurant/store is located.

Officers found Esmeralda Torres-Lopez outside with a gunshot wound. The 32-year-old woman was taken to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead at 9:55 a.m.

Torres-Lopez and Martinez-Garcia were “significant others in a relationship,” Turner said.

It appears there was at least one other person other than Torres-Lopez and Martinez-Garcia at the restaurant, according to 911 emergency communications scanner traffic.

“Two females screaming hysterically,” a dispatcher said over the 911 scanner. “Females advising the subject has a gun, having a very difficult time getting information. Believe there might be a hostage situation.”

Great Bend detectives nearby saw a white pickup speeding away and began a pursuit. Law enforcement then used the tire-deflation device.

“Then a deputy from the Barton County Sheriff’s Office conducted a tactical vehicle intervention, causing the pickup truck to leave the roadway and hit a barbed-wire fence,” Turner said. “The truck came to rest in a field near Mile Marker 191 on Highway 50 in Stafford County.”

Officers approached the truck and found the man dead inside. A coroner pronounced him dead at 9:45 a.m.

The KBI is investigating the incident. Its findings will go to the Stafford County Attorney for review.

This story was originally published December 27, 2024, 7:28 PM.

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