Toddler Drowns after Crawling Through Wichita Dog Door, Falling into Pool
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Wichita police say a toddler has died after crawling through a home's dog door and falling into a backyard pool. The Wichita Police Department said in a news release that the incident happened Saturday morning. Officers called to the home found the boy unresponsive after he had been pulled from the pool. Attempts to revive the boy failed, and he was declared dead at the scene. An investigation revealed the boy and his parents were guests at the home, and that the boy had crawled through a dog door to get to the pool. He was later found by his father and pulled from the pool. Police continue to investigate.
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Charges Filed in Fatal KCK Deli Shooting
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Prosecutors in northeastern Kansas have charged a man suspected of killing two people inside a Kansas City, Kansas, market earlier this week. The Kansas City Star reports that 39-year-old Jermelle Andre-Lamont Byers has been charged with first-degree and second-degree murder and other counts. Those charges were filed Friday. The shooting Wednesday at the Edwards Original Corner Market & Deli killed market owner, 62-year-old Dennis Edwards, and fatally injured 42-year-old Lachell Day, who died Thursday. Officers who arrived on the scene of the shooting say the suspect, later identified as Byers, pointed a handgun at them. Officers fired at the man and sought cover. He was taken into custody after a two-hour standoff. Police say the shooting was related to a domestic disturbance between Byers and Day. Byers is being held in the Wyandotte County Detention Center on $500,000 bail.
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Protestors Call on Officials to Declare Lawrence a Sanctuary City
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Hundreds have rallied in a Lawrence park to call on city officials to declare the northeastern Kansas city a sanctuary for immigrants who are in the U.S. without legal permission. The Journal-World reports that the Friday night rally was organized by a local coalition of Latino activists. The coalition says more than 300 people signed a petition urging Lawrence leaders to pass ordinances aimed at protecting immigrants, including measures to limit local police cooperation with federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement. State Representative Susan Ruiz, a Shawnee Democrat, told the crowd the country needed more sanctuary cities. The rally also raised more than $1,600 for a fund to help local immigrants and refugees pay for such things as legal fees, groceries and transportation. In 2017, the City Commission proclaimed Lawrence a "welcoming city," but proclamations aren't legally binding.
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After 12 years, Wounded Veteran Returns to Olathe Home
OLATHE, Kan. (AP) — A retired Army infantryman who lost both legs and his left arm in Iraq has finally felt strong enough after 12 years to return to his old suburban Kansas City home. Retired Staff Sgt. Matt Lammers told The Kansas City Star that a renewed love of sports and the support of his current wife gave him the strength to return to Olathe this month. He was wounded on his second tour in Iraq in 2007 at 25. He said memories of playing catch in his parents' yard and being in the living room again were too painful. He also struggled with drug abuse and attempted suicide. He's on a two-week visit with his daughters from his first marriage before heading to Florida to compete in a Paralympics-style competition for veterans.
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KC Royals Beat Tigers 4-1, Hometown Favorite Starling Gets First Hit, RBI
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Bubba Starling's first career hit was admittedly a little imperfect. Then again, so was his route to the majors. The hometown boy from nearby Gardner, Kansas, toiled away for more than seven years in the minors, more than once thinking about giving up the game. But he was finally called up by the Kansas City Royals this week, and he finally delivered that hit — a timely one, too — on Saturday night. Starling's RBI single in the fifth inning tied the game, and the Royals went on to beat Detroit 4-1. "It means a lot," Starling said. "I was talking to Lucas Duda, 'When did you get your first hit?' And he said it took him a long time, and I was like 'Man, I hope it doesn't take me long.'"
