Topeka man charged in connection with Sunday morning shooting

A Topeka man arrested in connection with a weekend shooting outside a Lawrence bar was charged Monday with one count of aggravated battery.

The charge against Preston Gardenhire, 31, stems from a shooting early Sunday morning in the parking lot of the Cross Town Tavern, 1910 Haskell Ave.

Officers heard shots ring out just before 1:30 a.m. at a large party involving hundreds of people in the bar’s parking lot.

Police found the victim, a 21-year-old Kansas City, Kan., resident, suffering from several gunshot wounds. He was taken to a Kansas City-area hospital.

A Douglas County District judge set Gardenhire’s bond at $20,000, saying Gardenhire had no previous criminal record.

He was ordered to appear back in court next Monday, when a date for a preliminary hearing will be set.

A 35-year-old Lawrence woman accused of driving a car that fled the scene of the shooting was arrested on charges of aiding a felon. She posted bond and was released from the Douglas County Jail. She’s scheduled to appear in court July 7.