Tragedy in Phillipsburg: NW Kansas Mourns Loss of Phillips County Undersheriff Brandon Gaede

Phillips County KS Undersheriff, Brandon Gaede. Picture from Phillips County KS Sheriff's Office Facebook page

Communities across Northwest Kansas are grieving following a tragic incident late Friday night in Phillipsburg that claimed the life of a local law enforcement officer.

According to an official statement from the Phillips County Sheriff’s Office, posted to Facebook at 10:40 p.m. on Friday, June 27, deputies were responding to a fireworks-related call at the intersection of 1st and E Street in Phillipsburg when an exchange of gunfire occurred. During the confrontation, a deputy was shot and transported to the hospital. The suspect involved sustained fatal injuries.

While the Sheriff’s Office has not yet officially confirmed the identity of the deputy killed, numerous community tributes and social media posts indicate that Undersheriff Brandon Gaede was the deputy fatally wounded during the response.

Gaede, 30, was a 2013 graduate of Colby High School and earned his associate degree in criminal justice from Colby Community College in 2015. He had dedicated the past eight years to the Phillips County Sheriff’s Office and had just been promoted to the position of Undersheriff in July 2024. He is remembered as a devoted husband and father, leaving behind his wife, Karlye, and their three young children.

The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) has been called in and is assisting in the ongoing investigation. Authorities are urging the public to avoid the area around 1st and E Street in Phillipsburg while the scene remains active.

In the wake of the tragedy, the Farmers State Bank in Phillipsburg has announced the creation of a fund to support the Gaede family. “It is with heavy hearts that an account for the Brandon and Karlye Gaede family has been created at the bank,” read a statement on the bank’s Facebook page. “Donations of any sort for the Gaede family are welcomed to be dropped off at our location.”

The outpouring of support from residents across Phillips County and surrounding communities has been swift and heartfelt, with many offering condolences and prayers for the Gaede family and local law enforcement.

NWKS Radio extends our deepest sympathies to the Gaede family, the Phillips County Sheriff’s Office, and all those affected by this senseless loss. We will continue to follow this story and provide updates as more information becomes available.