SEDGWICK COUNTY—Two juveniles were injured and three others are in custody after a shooting on Friday at a mall in Wichita.
Just after 3:36 p.m. on Friday, police were dispatched to a reported shooting in the Town East Mall parking lot, near Round 1 Bowling, according to a media release.
Investigators discovered that a fight involving five males escalated into gunfire. Two victims were injured: one was shot in the torso and the other in the leg. Officers applied a tourniquet to the leg injury before Sedgwick County EMS arrived.
An off-duty officer from the Great Bend Police Department, who was in plain clothes, detained one suspect just as Wichita officers arrived. This suspect was found to be in possession of what appeared to be a rifle-caliber pistol. Officers subsequently took two additional males into custody.
The two victims, aged 17 and 15, were transported to a nearby hospital, where they were listed in critical condition on Saturday morning, according to police.
The victims were on the ground when the primary suspect continued to shoot at them. The primary suspect, age 17, has been arrested for two counts of attempted murder. The two other suspects, both 16 years old, will be booked with disorderly conduct related to fighting.
Wichita Police Chief Joe Sullivan highlighted the dangers of youth access to high-powered weapons, stating, “Once again, we have an incident involving teenagers with a high-powered weapon that resulted in two young people being hospitalized. This was the result of poor decision-making by these teens. Lives were saved due to the quick and decisive actions of the off-duty Great Bend Police officer who happened to be at the scene and the rapid response of Wichita officers, which helped prevent further tragedy. I urge parents to monitor their children’s activities, possessions, and associates. Community involvement is crucial if we are to keep our youth safe and prevent these incidents from occurring.”
This incident remains under active investigation. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact Wichita Police Department detectives or Crime Stoppers at 316-267-2111.