BAXTER SPRINGS, Kans. — Cherokee County authorities released information on a brief manhunt that ended when the suspect took his own life.
According to the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office, 46-year-old Joseph Gunsolus attempted to shoot a woman west of Baxter Springs Tuesday afternoon. When his gun jammed, he struck her in the head before running into a wooded area.
Deputies with CCSO rushed to the scene around 4:00 PM with assistance from Baxter Springs PD, KHP, and Quapaw Nation Marshal’s Service; forming a perimeter around the area Gunsolus was last seen.
A search of the wooded area and nearby fields brought deputies to a camper where they located Gunsolus inside a closet. Officials say he died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
The woman was taken to a local hospital where she was treated and released.
