WICHITA, Kan. — Sedgwick County District Attorney Marc Bennett announced Tuesday that no criminal charges will be filed against eight law enforcement officers involved in the fatal shooting of Devario Edwards outside what was then Spirit AeroSystems in January 2025.
After reviewing the investigation, Bennett determined the officers were justified under Kansas law when they returned fire after Edwards opened fire on law enforcement officers.
According to the district attorney's report, Edwards had experienced significant personal and financial difficulties in the weeks leading up to the shooting. He had recently lost his job at Spirit AeroSystems, struggled with a gambling addiction and had fallen behind on mortgage payments. The report also noted increasingly erratic behavior that generated six law enforcement cases in the 12 days before his death.
Edwards was arrested Jan. 22, 2025, on suspicion of domestic violence battery and released on bond the following day. Later that evening, authorities said he attempted to shoot a man at a north Wichita residence, but the firearm malfunctioned.
Investigators said Edwards later streamed a Facebook Live video in which he threatened suicide and discussed a potential confrontation with police. Officers monitoring the video reported seeing Edwards with a firearm and hearing references to Spirit AeroSystems.
A license plate reader located Edwards' Jeep near the Spirit facility around 11:15 p.m. on Jan. 23. Law enforcement officers initiated a pursuit that ended in a parking lot at the aerospace plant.
According to the report, Edwards exited the vehicle carrying a semiautomatic rifle styled after an AK-47 and immediately began firing at officers. Investigators determined Edwards fired 23 rounds during the exchange.
Five Wichita police officers, two Sedgwick County Sheriff's Office sergeants and one sheriff's deputy returned fire. Law enforcement discharged more than 120 rounds, striking Edwards at least 12 times.
Edwards was transported to a Wichita hospital, where he died shortly after midnight.
In announcing his findings, Bennett said the officers' actions were legally justified under Kansas self-defense statutes.
"There is no mechanism by which I can say that these officers are criminally responsible for taking his life, as regrettable as this circumstance may have been," Bennett said.
The Kansas Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation into the shooting and previously released video footage and details from the incident.