TOPEKA, Kan. — The Topeka man killed during an exchange of gunfire with police Sunday afternoon had been arrested on a domestic battery allegation just three days earlier, according to Shawnee County booking records.
Michael Wayne Schmidt, 47, died Sunday, October 4, after the Kansas Bureau of Investigation says he fired a handgun at Topeka police officers inside a residence in the 3100 block of SW Chelsea Drive. One officer returned fire, striking Schmidt. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The shooting occurred on Schmidt’s 47th birthday.
Newly reviewed booking information provides additional context about the days immediately preceding his death.
Arrested three days before the shooting
Shawnee County booking records show Schmidt was booked into jail at 1:25 a.m. October 1 on an allegation of:
Domestic battery — knowingly making rude physical contact with a family member or person in a dating relationship.
His bond was listed as $5,000 OR, or own recognizance.
The booking itself does not establish that Schmidt was guilty of domestic battery. It documents the allegation for which he was arrested.
Three days later, police were again looking for him.
Early information from Topeka police described Sunday’s incident as involving an alleged protection-order violation, while subsequent reporting says officers were attempting to arrest Schmidt in connection with another incident following the earlier domestic-battery arrest.
The precise relationship between the October 1 arrest, any protection order and the circumstances that brought officers to SW Chelsea Drive on Sunday has not yet been fully explained publicly.
Police say Schmidt fired first
According to the KBI’s preliminary account, two Topeka police officers arrived at the residence at approximately 4:28 p.m. Sunday.
Investigators say Schmidt allowed the officers inside.
After speaking with him briefly, officers attempted to take Schmidt into custody. The KBI says Schmidt went into a back room and officers followed.
Schmidt allegedly retrieved a handgun.
According to investigators, officers ordered him to drop the weapon. The KBI’s preliminary investigation indicates Schmidt fired the handgun and one Topeka officer returned fire with a duty weapon.
Schmidt was struck and died at the scene.
Neither officer was injured.
Three days between arrest and death
The newly uncovered booking record creates a clearer timeline surrounding Schmidt’s final days.
October 1: Schmidt is arrested on a domestic-battery allegation and receives a $5,000 OR bond.
October 4: On Schmidt’s 47th birthday, Topeka police encounter him at the SW Chelsea Drive residence while attempting to take him into custody. According to the KBI, Schmidt retrieves a handgun and fires at officers. An officer returns fire, killing him.
Both officers involved have been placed on administrative leave while the shooting is investigated.
The KBI is conducting the independent investigation and will ultimately submit its findings for prosecutorial review.
Several important questions remain unanswered, including the circumstances surrounding the reported protection order, what occurred between Schmidt’s October 1 release and Sunday’s police response, and what new incident prompted officers to seek his arrest.
Those details could provide important context for understanding how an October 1 domestic-battery arrest was followed only three days later by a fatal confrontation with police.
The KBI’s account of the shooting remains preliminary, and the agency has not yet completed its investigation.
This Is Topeka will continue following the case, including the circumstances surrounding Schmidt’s October 1 arrest, the reported protection-order violation and the KBI’s investigation into the fatal shooting.
