photo by: Chad Lawhorn/Journal-World

Multiple Lawrence Police Department Vehicles have the street in front of Lawrence City Hall blocked on the morning of Jan. 5, 2026.

UPDATED 11:10 A.M. MONDAY JAN. 5

A large contingent of law enforcement and emergency responders is at Lawrence City Hall Monday morning, which has been closed due to an “altercation” that has resulted in a fatality, the Lawrence Police Department has confirmed.

City Manager Craig Owens has confirmed an intruder has been shot and killed by an armed city employee inside Lawrence City Hall. The intruder was a 28 year old male . Owens provided information at a 10:45 a.m. press briefing. The intruder was not someone previously known to police, officials at the briefing said. A motive for why the intruder entered City Hall is not clear, but the intruder engaged in a physical fight upon entering the building.

The intruder had broken a window to get into the building, officials said. The suspect is from out of state. City employees have been sent home for the day, and City Hall remains closed. The city employee who shot the intruder has been publicly identified but has been placed on administrative leave, an official said.

The altercation and shooting occurred on the fourth floor of City Hall, which is where offices for the City Manager and other top-ranking city officials are located.

Following the media statement, officials with the city confirmed to the Journal-World that the employee who shot the intruder was not a police officer, but was a city employee who “authorized” to carry a firearm. There were two city employees in City Hall at that time who were authorized to carry firearms, the official said.

The city employees found a broken window that led to a City Hall stairwell. It appears the intruder went through the window, entered a stairwell and forced open a door that led to the fourth floor of City Hall. The incident occurred the fourth-floor waiting area that is outside of the offices of the City Manager and other City Hall executives.

The Lawrence Police Department will lead the investigation into the incident, and the investigation is ongoing, officials said.

Multiple City Hall sources told a Journal-World reporter on scene that the incident involved an intruder in City Hall. LPD spokeswoman Laura McCabe confirmed Monday morning in a brief media statement that one individual has died from the incident, but did not provide further details.

McCabe did not provide information about whether the deceased was male or female, or what connection the individual had to Lawrence City Hall.

She said City Manager Craig Owens and Police Chief Rich Lockhart would be making a statement before 11 a.m. today regarding details about the altercation and fatality. Radio traffic on emergency medical channels reported a little after 8 a.m. that Lawrence-Douglas County Fire & Medical crews were responding to the address of Lawrence City Hall for reports of a cardiac arrest caused by a gunshot wound.

“We are not able to confirm details yet but are on scene and have controlled the situation,” LPD said via its Facebook page.

Members of the public were being told to avoid the area.

photo by: Bremen Keasey/Journal-World

Lawrence police officers identified by their uniforms as members of the forensics team are seen exiting Lawrence City Hall with bags on Jan. 5, 2026.

In its social media post, LPD said that both police officers and Lawrence-Douglas County Fire & Medical personnel responded to the scene. A Journal-World reporter on scene saw multiple members of the LPD’s forensics team leaving City Hall with bags of items.

A city spokesperson told the Journal-World that the current plan is for City Hall to be closed for the entire day. In addition to housing a host of city offices, City Hall also is home to the city’s Municipal Court, which was scheduled to be in session this morning. Many members of the public on Monday morning were approaching City Hall for court proceedings, but were turned away by an LPD officer who was stationed at City Hall’s main entrance.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

photo by: Chad Lawhorn/Journal-World

Lawrence Police Chief Rich Lockhart and another member of the LPD enter Lawrence City Hall on the morning of Jan. 5, 2026.

photo by: Chad Lawhorn/Journal-World photo

Lawrence City Hall and a multitude of law enforcement vehicles are pictured on Jan. 5, 2026.