'I miss what I didn't get a chance to see': Father reflects on life, death of Deputy Elijah Ming

KSHB 41 reporter Fernanda Silva covers stories in the Northland, including Liberty. She also focuses on issues surrounding immigration. Share your story idea with Fernanda.

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A year has passed since Wyandotte County Sheriff Deputy Elijah Ming was killed in the line of duty.

Ming's name is engraved on a memorial, and his family and colleagues continue to remember and honor his life and legacy.

For his father, Mark Ming, the moment he learned of his son's death is one he can't forget.

"It just didn't seem real," Mark Ming said.

The grief that followed was compounded by another loss. Just 11 days before Elijah was killed, Mark's wife and — Elijah's mother — lost her battle with cancer.

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"Even though everything that happened to us was tragic, I still try to find a way to be thankful," Mark Ming said. "I didn't have to tell my wife, who was dying of cancer, that our son had got killed. And I'm thankful for that because that would have killed her."

For Mark, grief is not only about looking back. It is also about mourning a future he will never see.

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"That's the most painful part of it," Ming told KSHB 41 Reporter Fernanda Silva. "They say you can't miss what you never had. And I do. I miss what I didn't get a chance to see. I wanted to see what a father he was going to be."

Elijah left behind a young son. Mark described watching the boy interact with memories of his father.

"When he comes over here, he'll point [at a picture] and say, 'that's my dada'," Mark said. "We plan on just talking to him and explaining who his daddy was."

Mark has become a keeper of photographs and memories, preserving them for Elijah's son, Deuce.

"They'll help with explaining to Deuce who his dad was," Mark Ming said. "Just letting him know that his daddy didn't just leave him. You know, he was taken. If his daddy had his chance, he would be with him," Mark said.

Elijah was the oldest of his siblings and someone his father described as a bridge between generations.

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"Miss him being a second father to his brothers," Mark Ming said. "Miss him being able to bridge that gap in the — cause I'm older, and I don't understand a lot of stuff, but Elijah would take the time and see my side, see their side and bring it together. He would do that with just anybody."

The loss has also weighed heavily on Wyandotte County Sheriff Daniel Soptic.

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"Feels like it was yesterday," Soptic said. "And personally, as it got closer, it just, it was like old wounds being reopened."

Soptic said the nature of the call that day made the loss especially difficult to process.

Soptic said the responsibility he feels for his deputies never fades.

"Every single person that works for me, I feel responsible for, even though I wasn't there that day. Even though Deputy Ming was doing exactly what he should have done at that time, as a sheriff, I still feel responsible for those people," Soptic said.

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Mark said the outpouring of community support in the aftermath helped carry his family through.

"You just felt the love from people," Mark said. "They really helped. They really did."

He also shared a message he hopes others will take from his family's loss.

"Get along with one another. And when you have a disagreement, take time to think about it. Take time to cool off. Take time to get away from each other for a while. And nobody wants to lose a loved one. So if we start doing that, maybe we'll stop a lot of that," Mark said.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

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