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Michael James Trask

Age : 39

Gender : Male

Race : Black

Date : 02/20/2023

Location : 63rd Street between 183rd and 199th

City : Goddard

County : Sedgwick

State : Kansas

Agency : Goddard Police Department

Officer(s) :Unknown

Cause of Death : Gunshot

Event : Killed by police after pursuit for alleged reckless driving

OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :

On 02/20/2023, a Goddard police officer attempted to stop 39-year-old Michael James Trask after police reported observing erratic driving behavior. When the driver did not stop, police escalated a vehicle pursuit that ended near 63rd Street between 183rd and 199th in Sedgwick County. After the vehicle stopped, the encounter transitioned from a pursuit to a roadside confrontation.
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According to statements from the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office and law enforcement briefings, police claimed Trask exited the vehicle holding what they described as a BB gun or replica-style air gun. Authorities alleged that he walked toward the officer during the post-pursuit encounter. The officer then opened fire, discharging multiple rounds and striking Trask, who was pronounced dead at the scene. Reporting indicates approximately eight shots were fired, based on investigative summaries released through local authorities.
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No independently released video evidence publicly confirms the precise sequence of movements described in police statements. The narrative regarding the object in his hand and his movements toward the officer is derived from law enforcement accounts rather than publicly verifiable footage. Police did not claim that Trask possessed a firearm. Instead, authorities described the object as a BB gun or replica air gun. Under standard database classification, this indicates he was unarmed with a firearm and believed to have been unarmed except for a replica-style BB gun, a characterization not publicly disputed in official summaries.
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The incident began as a reckless driving stop rather than a violent crime call and escalated after the pursuit concluded and the vehicle had already stopped. The officer’s identity was not prominently disclosed in initial regional coverage. Public reporting indicates the officer was not criminally charged following the investigation. The case received limited regional media coverage only, with few tactical details released by police and no widely documented civil rights lawsuits located that would otherwise provide a fuller forensic reconstruction of the encounter.
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Body Camera / Video Disclosure:
No body camera or dash camera footage has been publicly released in available reporting. Law enforcement narrative details about the alleged BB gun and approach appear to be based primarily on police statements rather than publicly released visual evidence.

SOURCE LINKS :

https://www.kwch.com/2023/02/20/goddard-police-involved-shooting/
https://www.kfdi.com/2023/02/20/shooting-incident-under-investigation-southwest-of-wichita/
https://www.kake.com/story/48413573/sheriff-man-carrying-bb-gun-fatally-shot-by-goddard-officer
https://newstalkkzrg.com/2023/02/22/sheriff-man-carrying-bb-gun-fatally-shot-by-goddard-officer/