WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A man accused of walking into a Wichita tax office and shooting an agent called an acquaintance afterward and said he had “lost it” and “just killed a guy,” according to investigators.
A Wichita police detective wrote in an arrest affidavit that it was one of two calls that 52-year-old Ricky Wirths made after the Sept. 19 attack on Cortney Holloway, who was shot several times but survived, The Wichita Eagle reported. Wirths, who owed nearly $400,000 in outstanding taxes, pleaded not guilty to attempted first-degree murder and is jailed on $500,000 bond.
Holloway, a 35-year-old tax enforcement agent for the Kansas Department of Revenue, told investigators that a tax warrant was served to Wirths at his home and that some of Wirths’ property was seized, the detective wrote. About two hours later, Wirths came to Holloway’s office and asked to speak to him. When Holloway came to see to Wirths, Wirths asked him, “Why did you take my money? Why did you take my stuff?” He then drew a handgun from a portfolio he was holding and started firing, he wrote.
The wounded Holloway fled to a back office, where colleagues started tending to wounds to the right side of his upper chest, his left thigh, left middle finger and right arm, the affidavit states.
Afterward, Wirths called a 55-year-old male acquaintance and asked for a favor, according to the affidavit. He said: “Take care of my employees and kids because I just killed a guy.”
The man didn’t understand what Wirths was talking about and asked for clarification, to which Wirths told him, ‘No, I’m serious. I’m done. I lost it.'”
Wirths also called a man who works for him and said, “I just shot somebody. Thank you for all of your hard work.”
Wirths was arrested after stopping his truck near an officer and announcing he was surrendering, the affidavit says.
