Blaze Allen Swank Sr., 27, was found shot to death alongside 19-year-old Kylan Shook near Northwest 19th and Cardinal Lane in rural Cherokee County, Kansas, on Sunday, June 14, 2020. Both deaths were ruled homicides; the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office and the Kansas Bureau of Investigation led the inquiry.

Blaze was born March 18, 1993, in Pittsburg, Kansas, and had lived in Scammon since 2006. A 2011 Southeast High School graduate, he was described as a skilled handyman who enjoyed working on cars, bicycles, and radios, and as someone who took great joy in time spent with his three children — a son and two daughters.

Investigators executed interviews and search warrants quickly and identified a suspect; an arrest warrant was issued for Mark Gerald Hopkins II. Hopkins was located near Fairland, Oklahoma, after a brief attempt to flee on foot and taken into custody. Does anyone have information about Blaze’s life in Scammon or knew him personally and can share details that might help remember him?