A Wichita woman is facing charges for an incident in Florida in which her boyfriend was shot and killed while attacking two deputies.

The Highlands County, Florida Sheriff’s Office said 30-year-old Lakenya Phillips and her 9-year-old son had been listed as missing and endangered in Wichita on December 6th. It’s not clear how they ended up in Florida.

The Sheriff’s Office said deputies and emergency crews were called to an intersection in Sebring, Florida on Tuesday about people burning debris on the side of the road.  The deputies encountered 39-year-old Richard Ham, who was armed with two metal rods.  The deputies used a taser on Ham but it had little effect.   Ham dropped the rods but Phillips picked up one of them and handed it to Ham, and he struck a deputy in the head.  A deputy then fired a shot at Ham, who was taken to a hospital and later pronounced dead.

The Sheriff’s Office said Ham and Phillips were burning the possessions of Phillips’ 9-year-old son because they believed he was possessed by a demon. At one point, witnesses said, Ham put the child into the fire and covered him with a blanket that was also on fire. The child was able to escape serious injury and is currently in the custody of welfare officials.   The child told law enforcement officers that Ham and Phillips had been using drugs.   Deputies found firearms and drugs in the vehicle that the couple had been driving.

Phillips was booked on charges of attempted murder of a law enforcement officer, battery of a law enforcement officer, resisting arrest with violence and cruelty toward a child.

The deputy who was struck with the metal rod was treated and released at a hospital, and both deputies have been placed on administrative leave while the shooting is under investigation.

[ photo:  Highlands County Sheriff’s Office – Facebook ]