A Derby man has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for attempted first-degree murder of law enforcement officers during a 2019 armed robbery in Salina.

According to Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt, 27-year-old Colt Francis Wright was sentenced  in Saline County District Court. District Court Judge Patrick Thompson sentenced Wright to 30 years in a Kansas Department of Corrections facility on three counts of attempted first-degree murder with a firearm and one count of aggravated battery. Wright was also ordered to pay $2,596 in restitution.

Wright pleaded guilty to the charges in March.

The incident occurred February 5, 2019, in Saline County. Wright was shot by law enforcement following a high-speed pursuit which started in Salina with a car jacking and ended in rural Saline County.

The incident started when officers located a Jeep which had been reported stolen. The Jeep was taken during an armed car jacking at the Kwik Shop convenience store on Schilling Road.

Officers quickly located the Jeep in the area of Magnolia and S. 9th Street. Police say Wright backed up and rammed a patrol vehicle. This resulted in the police vehicle being disabled and Wright fleeing the scene in the stolen vehicle. The officer was not injured.

During the pursuit Wright fired shots at officers and at a citizen.

The pursuit ended when the Jeep crashed in a field, east of Salina in the area of Country Club and Whitmore Roads. Wright exited the vehicle and exchanged gunfire with police. One sheriff’s deputy and one police officer fired their weapons. Wright was struck by gunfire during the exchange. No law enforcement officers were hit by gunfire.

Wright sustained injuries that include a gunshot wound and facial injuries. He was transported by EMS to Salina Regional Health Center, and then transferred to the hospital in Wichita.

A Saline County Sheriff Deputy was injured during the pursuit. Sheriff Roger Soldan transported one of his deputies from the scene where the chase ended to the hospital to be treated for facial wounds. The deputy was hit in the face by glass shards when a bullet went through his windshield.

The case was investigated by the Salina Police Department, Saline County Sheriff’s Office, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation and the Kansas Highway Patrol. The case was prosecuted by Assistant Attorneys General C.J. Rieg and Adam Zentner of Schmidt’s office.