A rural Butler County couple heard the gunshots that likely struck a Sedgwick County deputy. Sherry Babcock says she doesn't know how it started, but she heard gunshots Monday evening and then her husband ran into the house.
"We heard gunshots and then my husband came in the house," Babcock said. "He was worried. He says, 'Get the dogs in here and lock the… lock the doors.'"
Then, through her kitchen window, she saw two people running.
"And then they were gone and the policeman showed up," Babcock said. "And the copters and everything."
She and her husband locked the doors and stayed in their home until it was over.
Authorities say the people in her yard are now in custody, accused in the shooting of a Sedgwick County deputy. They say the two people wouldn't stop when the deputy tried to pull them over. They took off and the deputy chased them.
The deputy found their car on the side of a road. When he stopped to check it out, authorities say he was fired upon and struck on his right side. He's in fair condition and is expected to recover.
Authorities say the two suspects then took off on foot and entered Babcock's yard. They say the suspects tried to steal her cars but weren't successful. Babcock says it took just a matter of minutes for police to show up and the helicopter to start circling over her house.
The suspects were quickly arrested. 35-year-old Jason Perez was shot by a Kansas Highway Patrol Trooper. He's in the hospital in critical condition. 27-year-old Clara Crosser went to the hospital for minor injuries and is now in the Butler County jail.
"We live in a tiny town. You're not thinking anything like this is going to happen. But I guess, you know, you never know," she said.
Unable to forget, Babcock is grateful there were still so many deputies in the area on Tuesday.
"Thank you so much. Have a great day," she says, as she finishes ringing up a sale to one of the deputies.
And she's happy deputies have her house surrounded while they gather evidence.
"Right now I feel like we've got the safest house on the block."
When Eyewitness News spoke with her Tuesday morning though, she was still shaking with the memory.
"It's… it was… crazy, crazy," she said. "It's just very scary and I don't want to live through that again."
She's trying to work like she would on any other day. But can't.
"I'm just nervous. You know, we'll start locking everything," she said. "Different, you know, do different things. But, yeah, you're not safe anywhere I guess. We moved from Wichita to get away from, you know, craziness. And it just follows you everywhere, I guess."
But Babcock is trying to concentrate on the positive things in life.
"Just trying to put it behind me and be thankful that I've got my kids, my grandkids," she said, "and just go from here."
