Post last updated at 3:07 p.m. Monday, Jan. 5, 2026
An armed city employee shot and killed an alleged intruder Monday morning at Lawrence City Hall, according to police.
Lawrence Police Chief Rich Lockhart said a 28-year-old man had entered City Hall around 8 a.m. Monday. A news release from LPD later stated that the man had “forced his way into the building” through a back door.
Lockhart said the man had gone up a stairwell to the fourth floor and broken a window in the stairwell door. The fourth floor is a secured area not open to the public, according to LPD.
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City employees “encountered” the man, a fight ensued, and the armed employee shot and killed the man, Lockhart said.
Lockhart said he could not yet provide more information about the employee, such as their title, but that they were doing “as well as can be expected.” However, the employee was someone who was authorized and trained to carry a firearm in the building, according to LPD.
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He said it was not yet clear as of the 10:45 a.m. press conference whether the man who was shot had also been armed. He said the man was from out of state and unknown to police, and his motive was unclear.
“Their families are still being notified that they were involved in this incident, so out of respect for their privacy, we’re not going to release that at this time,” he said.
No city employees were physically harmed in the incident, City Manager Craig Owens said.
LPD and the Douglas County district attorney’s office were still investigating Monday morning, Lockhart said. They were collecting statements from everyone involved, he said.
He said surveillance cameras captured the incident, but no footage would be released during the investigation.
The fourth floor of City Hall is the location of the city manager’s, city attorney’s and budget manager’s offices, Lockhart said.
“So I don’t know if that was necessarily a target or that this person would have known that, but it’s just — it’s the top floor,” Lockhart said. “So it could be that the person was in stairwell and just happened to get there and come out.”
City Hall would be closed for the remainder of the day Monday, and people should avoid the area, police said.
The city announced via social media after the press conference that all of City Hall will be closed through Tuesday and Wednesday, Jan. 6 and 7, as well. Plans are to reopen to the public on Thursday, Jan. 8.
That includes municipal court, which will not be held until Thursday, Owens said. Court staff members will attempt to communicate that to people who have court dates set this week.
“We’ve got to take some time to be able to go through and make sure we’ve got adequate security, and we’ve got to make sure that we have everything ready for people to be welcomed back in. So we just need some time to work through all that,” Lockhart said.
A spokesperson for the city confirmed that the Lawrence City Commission meeting will continue as planned at 5:45 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 6, and that City Hall would be open to the public for the meeting. Zoom attendance is an option for commission meetings. (Read more and find meeting details in this article.)
Mayor Brad Finkeldei and Lawrence city commissioners said in a statement Monday afternoon that “we extend our full support to City employees and appreciation for their continued commitment to serving our community.”
“We are committed to the safety and security of our community, especially within our public buildings, and City Hall remains a safe place for our community and staff,” the statement continued. “We will host the City Commission meeting tomorrow as scheduled and we look forward to welcoming the community back as we reopen fully on Thursday. We thank the Lawrence community for your patience and trust.”
In addition, a listening session about Fire Station 6 set for Monday afternoon will proceed as planned, and all inspections will continue as scheduled this week, according to the city.
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Molly Adams (she/her), photo editor, has worked with The Lawrence Times since May 2022. She can be reached at molly@lawrencekstimes.com.
Check out more of her work for the Times here. Check out her staff bio here.
Mackenzie Clark (she/her), reporter/founder of The Lawrence Times, can be reached at mclark@lawrencekstimes.com. Read more of her work for the Times here. Check out her staff bio here.
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