Area brief

Former athlete shot to death over cigarette

Wichita — A request for a cigarette apparently led to the shooting death of a former high school track athlete, police said.

David Kating, 25, who ran track at Coleman Middle School and East High, was shot in the head and chest by a 16-year-old boy Wednesday afternoon in southeast Wichita.

Wichita police said Kating was shot after an argument broke out over his request for a cigarette.

Capt. Randy Landen said the 16-year-old was booked into the Juvenile Detention Facility on a first-degree murder charge. A 24-year-old man who was with him was booked into the Sedgwick County Jail on a weapons charge.

Before he was booked, the 16-year-old was treated for a minor gunshot wound to the foot that he suffered when his handgun accidentally discharged, Landen said.