Press release: Great Bend Police Department

At approximately 12:30 a.m. on Saturday, September 5, 2026, officers with the Great Bend Police Department were dispatched to the 1400 block of Lakin Avenue in Great Bend in reference to a 911 hang-up call.

Upon arrival, officers were advised that a subject had been shot in the backyard. Officers located a female victim who was deceased from an apparent gunshot wound.

During the investigation, officers learned that the suspect, identified as Keagan Martens, white male, 19, had fled the scene prior to officers' arrival. Martens was later located in Salina, Kansas, where he was taken into custody. He was subsequently transported to the Barton County Jail, where he remains in custody.

The Great Bend Police Department was assisted in this investigation by the Barton County Sheriff's Office, Kansas Highway Patrol, and Salina Police Department.

This incident remains under investigation. Anyone with information regarding this case is urged to contact the Great Bend Police Department at 620-793-4120, Barton County Crime Stoppers at 620-792-1300, or submit information online at p3tips.com.