Family and advocates demand full transparency after fatal police shooting in Wichita
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Summary
During public comment, an advocate told the council that Deondre Hill was killed by Wichita police on Jan. 20 and urged immediate release of all body-camera footage, reports and 911 calls; speakers said leadership silence compounds family grief and called for accountability.
A speaker introduced by the clerk as Helen Ryker used her allotted public-comment time on Feb. 10 to demand full transparency and accountability after the Jan. 20 fatal shooting of Deondre Hill by Wichita police. The speaker disputed a narrative presented at a sheriff’s press conference and asserted that Hill "was not a suspect," calling repeatedly for release of all body-worn camera footage, police reports, 911 recordings and officer training records so the family and community can see the full record.
The speaker described the incident as occurring in a narrow apartment hallway after a knock at the door around 1 a.m., said officers were in tactical positions, and stated the family has been left to defend Hill’s character without access to the investigatory materials. She said she had emailed the council a 20‑page in-depth analysis of the case and announced a community information meeting on March 1.
No formal action or investigatory updates were provided at the meeting; the speaker’s requests for materials and for transparency remained outstanding in the hearing. Council leadership reminded the public of decorum rules; a number of speakers and council members later noted that questions involving pending litigation should be handled with sensitivity and legal counsel where appropriate.
Quote: "Deondre Hill was not a suspect... The family and the community need the truth. They need all the body cam footage from all 3 officers," the speaker said during public comment.
Next steps: The speaker encouraged residents to attend a March 1 community meeting and said copies of the submitted analysis are available; council did not vote or take formal action on investigatory releases during this meeting.
Ending: The council returned to other agenda items after the public comment period; the requests for footage and documents remain unaddressed in the meeting record.