Death by Cop 2021-2025
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Mario Martinez-Garcia
Gender : Male
Age : 32
Race : Latino/a/e
Date : 12/27/2024
Location : Highway 50 near mile marker 191
City : Near Great Bend
County : Stafford County
State : Kansas
Agency : Great Bend Police Department; Barton County Sheriff's Office; Stafford County Sheriff's Office
Officer(s) :Names Not Disclosed
Cause of Death : Gunshot
Event : Suicide under police duress
OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :
On December 27, 2024, at approximately 9: 10 a.m., officers from the Great Bend Police Department responded to a disturbance call at 1516 7th Street in Great Bend, Kansas. Upon arrival, witnesses reported that 32-year-old Mario Martinez-Garcia had entered the workplace of 32-year-old Esmeralda Torres-Lopez, forced her outside, and shot her. Torres-Lopez was transported to a local hospital, where she was pronounced dead at 9: 55 a.m.
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Martinez-Garcia fled the scene in a white 2021 Chevy Silverado. Detectives spotted the vehicle speeding away and multiple law enforcement agencies escalated a chase. Officers deployed a tire deflation device, and a Barton County Sheriff's deputy performed a tactical vehicle intervention, causing the truck to leave the roadway and come to rest in a field near mile marker 191 on Highway 50 in Stafford County. Upon approaching the vehicle, officers found Martinez-Garcia deceased inside with a gunshot wound to his head. The Kansas Bureau of Investigation is conducting a thorough investigation into the incident.
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Total Fatalities/Injuries:
• Fatalities: 2 (Esmeralda Torres-Lopez, Mario Martinez-Garcia)
