Thursday marks 40 years since an 11-minute shooting spree put Wichita in national headlines.

At 3 p.m. on August 11, 1976, 19-year-old Michael Soles went on a shooting rampage. He set up on the southeast 26th floor balcony of the former downtown Holiday Inn. From there he had a clear view of pedestrians and drivers on Douglas and Kennedy Plaza.  

Soles killed three and wounded at least eight others.

Retired Sedgwick County Sheriff Mike Hill was then one of the Wichita police officers who put themselves in harm's way to stop soles' attack.

"He actually carried his weapons into the lobby," Hill said. "Back then people weren't really as concerned about people with weapons as they are today."  

Retired Wichita officer John Coonrod said the department didn't have any long rifles that would reach the 26th floor where soles was. Officers they had to go in there, putting their lives on the line to make the arrest.

Bobby Stout was a deputy chief at the time and remembers the high anxiety.

"We were able to take him without killing him and without getting themselves killed, and that was a relief to all of us," Stout said.   

Soles was taken into custody after being shot by Wichita police. He was convicted a few months later on 12 charges, including first-degree murder, and sentenced to three life terms. 

Soles is currently in the El Dorado Correctional Facility and will be up for parole next year.