Crime
Suspect Fatally Shot in Officer-Involved Incident Near Carbondale Identified as 22-Year-Old Stephen McMillan
A large multi-agency response unfolded Saturday morning near Carbondale, Kansas, after a domestic disturbance escalated into an officer-involved shooting, leaving one person dead and four law enforcement officers injured.
The incident occurred on November 15 in the area of South Topeka Avenue and West 113th Street.
According to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI), deputies from the Osage County Sheriffโs Office and troopers from the Kansas Highway Patrol (KHP) were initially dispatched around 10:30 a.m. after a woman living at the residence contacted authorities to report a domestic disturbance.
When responding personnel arrived, they encountered 22-year-old Stephen M. McMillan outside the residence.
An exchange of gunfire ensued, involving three deputies and two troopers.
During the confrontation, McMillan, three deputies, one KHP trooper, and another resident of the home were struck by gunfire.
McMillan was pronounced deceased at the scene.
The 77-year-old family member injured during the shooting was transported to a nearby hospital and is expected to recover.
Kansas Highway Patrol Superintendent Erik Smith confirmed that the gunfire erupted less than ten minutes after officers arrived, stating:
โThe suspect died from injuries he received from gunshot wounds.โ
According to KBI officials, two deputies required surgery and remain hospitalized in stable condition.
A third deputy has been released. The injured KHP trooper and the elderly resident are also expected to recover.
The Kansas Bureau of Investigation is leading the inquiry, citing the need for an independent review.
In a released statement, the KBI emphasized that all information available at this stage is preliminary, pending further evidence analysis, interviews, and official findings:
โThis independent investigation aims to discover all events leading up to the officer-involved shooting. Preliminary information does not represent final findings, which take several weeks to complete.โ
The Topeka Police Department (TPD) reported that it deployed additional officers to assist surrounding agencies at the scene and confirmed that none of its officers were injured.
Multiple agencies, including the Shawnee County Sheriffโs Office, expressed support for those affected. In a public message, officials said:
โOur hearts and prayers go out to the Osage County Sheriffโs Office deputies and the Kansas Highway Patrol trooper who were injured during this incident. Please keep them, their families, and their colleagues in your thoughts.โ
Among the injured is Trooper Adam Ellis, who remains hospitalized and is expected to undergo additional medical procedures as part of a prolonged recovery.
Crime
Mustapha Kharbouch Now-Deleted 2024 Manifesto Published in Institute for Palestine Studies Recovered
Brown University has removed multiple online references to student activist Mustapha Kharbouch in the days following a deadly campus shooting, a move that has drawn public attention amid heightened online speculationโdespite law enforcement officials confirming that no suspects or persons of interest have been identified in the investigation.
Archived versions of Brown University webpages show that Kharbouch, a first-year student at the time, was previously listed in several university-affiliated roles, including as a student assistant and Cultural Programming Coordinator connected to the Global Brown Center.
His academic interests were described as focusing on International and Public Affairs and Anthropology, with involvement in Middle Eastโfocused academic, cultural, and student programming.
Those pages are no longer accessible, and Kharbouchโs social media accounts have also been deactivated.
A verified buyer from the United States with the name “Mustapha K.” reviewed a 9MM muzzle brake through the Wing Tactical website on December 29th, 2024 โ the same caliber used in the Brown shooting.
There are approximately a few hundred people in the entire United States with that first name + last initial combination.
University officials have not issued a public explanation for the removal of the online profiles.
The changes occurred as online speculation intensified in the immediate aftermath of the shooting, with social media users circulating screenshots of archived university pages and past writings associated with Kharbouch.
Among the materials resurfaced by online users was a 2024 essay authored by Kharbouch and published by the Institute for Palestine Studies as part of a special student essay series titled Genocide in Gaza: Student Essays โ Brown University Encampment 2024.
The essay, titled โI Hear the Voice of My Ancestors Calling: From the Camps to the Campus,โ was published on August 13, 2024, months before the shooting. The piece is a first-person reflective essay examining Palestinian identity, intergenerational memory, student activism, and questions of hope amid displacement, war, and protest.
The article includes poetic excerpts adapted from โAncestors Song,โ a chant popularized during student-led Palestine solidarity actions at Brown University, and documents Kharbouchโs participation in campus organizing efforts, including sit-ins, hunger strikes, rallies, and the Brown Gaza Solidarity Encampment.
The essay situates these experiences within a broader discussion of decolonial thought, feminist theory, and Palestinian history, including reflections on the 1948 Nakba and the authorโs family history as a third-generation stateless Palestinian refugee raised in Lebanon.
The content of the essay is ideological, autobiographical, and academic in nature.
There is no reference to violence on campus, nor any indication of intent or planning related to criminal activity.
The Institute for Palestine Studies has not issued any statement suggesting the piece is under review or connected to the shooting.
Despite widespread online conjecture, law enforcement agencies, including the FBI and Providence Police, have not named Mustapha Kharbouch as a suspect or person of interest, and have publicly stated that there is no evidence linking him to the shooting.
Investigators have emphasized that the case remains active and that conclusions are being guided strictly by verified evidence.
Authorities have cautioned against drawing inferences from online speculation, warning that unsubstantiated claims can compromise investigations and cause undue harm to individuals not implicated by facts.
Media analysts and campus observers have suggested that Brown Universityโs decision to remove online references may have been taken as a protective or precautionary measure, particularly as misinformation and harassment proliferated across social media platforms following the attack.
Similar actions have been taken by institutions in other high-profile incidents to limit doxxing, targeted harassment, or the misinterpretation of publicly available biographical information during periods of heightened tension.
Brown University has not confirmed whether the removals were temporary, administrative, or safety-related in nature.
Authorities continue to urge the public to rely on confirmed information released by law enforcement and to avoid amplifying unverified narratives.
As of the most recent update, no arrests have been announced, no individuals have been publicly identified as suspects, and the investigation remains ongoing.
Anyone with credible information related to the shooting has been asked to contact investigators directly.