Harvey County Sheriff's Office, Kansas
End of Watch: Saturday, April 9, 2005
Age: 38
Tour of Duty: 13 years
Badge Number: 918
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: April 9, 2005
Weapon Used: Gun; Unknown type
Suspect Info: Sentenced to life
Deputy Sheriff Kurt Ford was shot and killed while conducting a forced entry during a hostage situation at 131 SE 14th Street in Newton.
The hostage situation stemmed from a domestic disturbance earlier in the evening. When officers arrived at the home the male subject took a female subject hostage. Deputy Ford and other members of the Harvey County Emergency Response Team responded to the scene. Three hours into the standoff the subject started attacking the hostage. The ERT team made a forced entry into the home and was met with gunfire from the man, who was armed with two handguns.
Deputy Ford was struck in the head and fatally wounded. Another member of the team, a detective with the Hesston Police Department, was shot twice and wounded. The subject remained barricaded in the home for an additional five hours before surrendering.
The subject, a convicted felon, had a history of domestic violence reports at his home. Police later found multiple weapons at the scene. The man was convicted of capital murder on June 28th, 2006, and was subsequently sentenced to life in prison.
Deputy Ford had just returned to law enforcement to serve with the Harvey County Sheriff's Office four months earlier. He had previously served in law enforcement for 13 years with multiple agencies in Kansas and Colorado. He is survived by his wife and two sons.