SEDGWICK COUNTY —A Kansas felon has been sentenced for shooting at officers during a June of 2020 protest in Wichita.
(Click below watch a video of the incident )
Henry Parker, 30, Wichita, was sentenced to 25 years in prison for shooting at officers in Wichita during a protest in 2020 after the death of George Floyd, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.
According to police, Parker fired multiple shots at responding officers, and one officer’s helmet was struck by bullet pieces that had ricocheted near the officers. A second officer's helmet is believed to have been grazed by a bullet.
Through witness interviews, technology, and community tips, Parker was identified in being involved with the shooting. Police located Parker in the 3800 block of West 21st, and he was arrested without incident.
An arrest affidavit in the criminal case says Parker admitted to a co-worker that he’d fired on officers on June 2 but told her “don't tell on me." Parker denied any involvement in the shooting.
None of the officers was shot, but police said one officer’s helmet was hit by bullet pieces that had ricocheted near the officers.
The Wichita Police Chief at the time of the crime had previously said officers fired tear gas, smoke rounds, flash grenades and foam bullets into the crowd that morning after rioters threw objects at police and refused to leave. The unrest followed a mostly peaceful protest calling for the end of police brutality in response to the May 25 death of George Floyd.
Parker had previously been arrested and convicted on charges of fleeing and eluding law enforcement, theft, criminal possession of a firearm on school property, aggravated weapons violations, felon in possession of a firearm, and criminal threats.