Man Charged in Killing of Washburn Football Player
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — An 18-year-old man faces charges in a shooting that killed Washburn University football player Dwane Simmons and wounded a friend who had been drafted hours earlier by the New York Giants. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports Francisco Alejandro Mendez was charged Friday with first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder and five accounts of aggravated robbery. It was unclear whether he had an attorney yet who could speak on his behalf. Shawnee County District Attorney Mike Kagay's office said in a news release Mendez is being held on a $1 million bond. The shooting in the early hours of April 28 outside an off-campus party also injured cornerback Corey Ballentine, whom the Giants drafted in the sixth round. Ballentine has since recovered. Simmons died at the scene.
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Woman Shot at KCK Deli Has Died
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Police say a woman who was critically wounded in a double shooting at a Kansas City, Kansas, deli has died from her injuries. The Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department identified her in a news release as 42-year-old Lachell Day of Kansas City, Kansas. The shooting Wednesday at the Edwards Original Corner Market & Deli also killed market owner Dennis Edwards. Police arrested a suspect after a standoff at the deli and took him to a hospital with a gunshot wound. Ellis Nave told The Kansas City Star that Day was his niece and she had been dating the suspect. Police say she died Thursday night.
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Governor Appoints 3 New Members to Kansas Board of Regents
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Governor Laura Kelly has appointed three members to the Kansas Board of Regents. The governor's office announced in a news release Friday her picks for the governing body of the state's six Regents universities and other educational institutions. Her three appointees are Cheryl Harrison-Lee, Jon Rolph and Shellaine "Shelly" Kiblinger. Harrison-Lee of Gardner recently served as city administrator for the city of Gardner, Kansas. Rolph of Wichita is president and CEO of Thrive Restaurant Group, which owns and operates restaurants in 10 states. Kiblinger of Cherryvale is superintendent of Cherryvale Public Schools. The bipartisan board is made up of nine members who serve staggered terms of four years. Each is appointed by the governor and subject to confirmation by the state Senate.
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Kansas Tax Collectors Seize 7 Convenience Stores
SALINA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas tax collectors have seized and closed seven convenience stores in Salina. The Salina Journal reports the stores had signs posted on the front doors and gas pumps on Thursday that read the property had been seized for nonpayment of taxes. The Kansas Department of Revenue said in a statement saying agents took possession of the stores for nonpayment of retail sales taxes totaling $49,540. Their owner has until Monday to reach a deal to pay the outstanding tax otherwise the state will permanently close the businesses. The stores are owned by Rod Bradshaw of Salina. He could not be reached for comment.
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Ex-Fiancee Names KC Chiefs' Hill in Paternity Case
OLATHE, Kan. (AP) — Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill's former fiancee has gone to court seeking to prove that he is the father of her newborn twins and to require him to pay child support. The Kansas City Star reports that Crystal Espinal filed a petition Thursday in Johnson County, Kansas, District Court. Her petition also seeks to establish supervised parenting time for Hill. The Chiefs suspended Hill on April 25th over allegations that his 3-year-old son was abused, which Hill denies. The local district attorney said in June that an investigation was no longer active because he couldn't prove who injured the boy. Online court records did not indicate that Hill had an attorney in the paternity case. The Chiefs did not immediately return a telephone message early Friday seeking comment.
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KC Chiefs Fans May Be Able to Buy Used Arrowhead Stadium Seats
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Fans may soon be able to buy used Arrowhead Stadium seats, possibly before the end of the Kansas City Chief's preseason next month. The Kansas City Star reports Jackson County is set to approve a contract that would allow those sales. Under the proposal, seats with Arrowhead logos on their metal end caps would sell for $399 a pair. Double seats with no logo would go for $299 and singles for $199. Customers could request specific seat numbers for an additional $20 charge. Jackson County residents will have the first crack at the seats. The proposed contract would guarantee the county $75,000 up front to cover the hauling and storage charges on 30,000 seats. The county and its vendor would then split net proceeds for the seat sales evenly.
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Wichita Police Chief Concerned about Police Shooting Investigations
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas police chief testified in a newly released deposition that he was so concerned about the fairness of internal department probes of police shootings in Wichita that he removed the high-ranking officers overseeing them and detectives conducting them. Wichita Police Chief Gordon Ramsay acknowledged investigators asked leading questions that could have prompted officers to claim the shootings were in self-defense. He also testified that detectives working on the internal probes got involved in the related criminal investigations and were "potentially contaminating" those investigations. Excerpts of the chief's May 24th deposition were included in a court filing this week in a lawsuit filed by the family of Andrew Finch. The unarmed Wichita man was killed by police in 2017 when a dispute over an online video game sparked a hoax call.
