The following vignettes describe the circumstances for killings not ruled self-defense by private individuals with permits to carry concealed handguns. The incidents below all occurred in Kansas. The descriptions include the current, known status of any charges filed against the concealed carry killer as reported by news sources as well as noting instances where the perpetrator committed suicide.
The Violence Policy Center welcomes any new information regarding the status of any case (with verifiable source(s)). Use this link to contact the VPC: http://www.vpc.org/contact.htm.
Concealed Handgun Permit Holder: Name Not Provided CONVICTED
Date: 2017
People Killed: 2
Circumstances: In 2017, the State of Kansas Office of the Attorney General reported that two Kansas concealed handgun permit holders were convicted of murder. In its annual report, the State of Kansas Office of the Attorney General does not release the offender’s name, the exact date of the event, nor the type of weapon used in the homicide.
Source: State of Kansas, Office of the Attorney General, letter to Governor and legislature, December 18, 2017.
Concealed Handgun Permit Holder: Name Not Provided CONVICTED
Date: 2016
People Killed: 1
Circumstances: In 2016, the State of Kansas Office of the Attorney General reported that one Kansas concealed handgun permit holder was convicted of Involuntary Manslaughter. In its annual report, the State of Kansas Office of the Attorney General does not release the offender’s name, the exact date of the event, nor the type of weapon used in the homicide.
Source: State of Kansas, Office of the Attorney General, letter to Governor and legislature, December 14, 2016.
Concealed Handgun Permit Holder: Name Not Provided CONVICTED
Date: 2015
People Killed: 1
Circumstances: In 2015, the State of Kansas Office of the Attorney General reported that one Kansas concealed handgun permit holder was convicted of vehicular homicide. In its annual report, the State of Kansas Office of the Attorney General does not release the offender’s name, the exact date of the event, nor the type of weapon used in the homicide.
Source: State of Kansas, Office of the Attorney General, letter to Governor and legislature, December 17, 2015.
Concealed Handgun Permit Holder: Name Not Provided CONVICTED
Date: 2014
People Killed: 1
Circumstances: In 2014, the State of Kansas Office of the Attorney General reported that one Kansas concealed handgun permit holder was convicted of premeditated 1st degree murder. In its annual report, the State of Kansas Office of the Attorney General does not release the offender’s name, the exact date of the event, nor the type of weapon used in the homicide.
Source: State of Kansas, Office of the Attorney General, letter to Governor and legislature, December 17, 2014.
Concealed Handgun Permit Holder: Name Not Provided CONVICTED
Date: 2013
People Killed: 1
Circumstances: In 2013, the State of Kansas Office of the Attorney General reported that one Kansas concealed handgun permit holder was convicted of involuntary manslaughter (vehicle). In its annual report, the State of Kansas Office of the Attorney General does not release the offender’s name, the exact date of the event, nor the type of weapon used in the homicide.
Source: State of Kansas, Office of the Attorney General, letter to Governor and legislature, December 18, 2013.
Concealed Handgun Permit Holder: Ronald Harner CONVICTED
Date: June 2, 2012
People Killed: 1
Circumstances: On June 2, 2012, concealed handgun permit holder Ronald Harner, 48, shot and killed his girlfriend, Jolie Crosby, 41, with a five-shot 38 caliber revolver. Harner claimed that the handgun fired unintentionally as he was trying to unload it. As Harner told detectives, “It was cocked. It freaking went off. I didn’t think there were even any bullets in the freaking thing. It just went off.” Harner was charged with second degree murder. During his trial, a firearms expert stated that it was unlikely that the revolver would have fired while being unloaded. Although Harner usually carried a 45 caliber handgun, he had borrowed the smaller 38-caliber revolver from a friend so he could carry it in the waistband of his shorts while attending the Wichita River Festival. The night before the shooting, Harner had been stopped at a DUI checkpoint where he failed a sobriety test, having drunk eight beers prior. Upon returning to Crosby’s house at 2:00 AM the next day, Crosby asked Harner to unload the .38, afraid that Crosby would fall asleep and that the four children sleeping in the house might find it. On June 10, 2013, Harner was convicted of reckless second-degree murder in the death of Jolie Crosby and faces a minimum of more than nine years in prison.
UPDATE: In July 2013, Ronald Harner was sentenced to 10 years and three months in prison. In August 2015, an appeals court upheld Harner’s conviction.
Source: State of Kansas v. Ronald E. Harner, Court of Appeals of Kansas, August 7, 2015; “Hutchinson man gets maximum sentence in woman’s 2012 shooting death,” kansas.com, July 31, 2013;“Hutchinson man convicted in shooting death of Wichita woman,” The Wichita Eagle, June 11, 2013; “Murder suspect told detectives that shooting was accidental,” The Wichita Eagle, June 6, 2013.
Concealed Handgun Permit Holder: Name Not Provided CONVICTED
Date: 2009
People Killed: 1
Circumstances: In 2009, the State of Kansas Office of the Attorney General reported that one Kansas concealed handgun permit holder was convicted of 2nd degree murder. In its annual report, the State of Kansas Office of the Attorney General does not release the offender’s name, the exact date of the event, nor the type of weapon used in the homicide.
Source: State of Kansas, Office of the Attorney General, letter to Governor and legislature, January 4, 2010.