2 armed suspects at large after Sunday shooting; 3 victims’ conditions improved

Lawrence police secure the scene of a triple shooting at 1621 W. 19th Terrace, Monday morning, Feb. 9, 2015. Three men were shot at the home Sunday afternoon, and as of Monday morning, two armed suspects were still at large.

Three men were injured after an early Sunday evening shooting at a home on W. 19th Terrace, Lawrence police spokesman Sgt. Trent McKinley said, and police continued to search for the armed suspects Monday morning.

McKinley said that as of Monday morning the three victims’ conditions had improved. “The good news is that of the three who are shot, we don’t think any of them have injuries that are life threatening. They all got good treatment,” he said. Police had been able to get some information from the victims but had yet to conduct more detailed interviews with them.

Officers were still on the scene at the home at 1621 W. 19th Terrace on Monday morning, and McKinley said they would be there throughout the day as they secure the area and retrace the steps of the suspects who fled the area Sunday night. “The investigation is progressing, and we are happy about that,” McKinley said.

Lawrence police officers interview a neighbor in the 1600 block of 19th Terrace, where a shooting took place Sunday afternoon.

Emergency responders transport a victim on a stretcher to an ambulance in the 1600 block of 19th Terrace, where a shooting took place Sunday afternoon.

Emergency responders wait outside a house where a shooting took place Sunday afternoon in 1600 block of 19th Terrace.

Officers responded to a report of at least one person shot at the home about 4:40 p.m. Sunday. Upon arrival, Lawrence police discovered three men injured inside a home just south of the Kansas University campus.

A LifeStar helicopter landed at Lawrence High School to take at least one victim with multiple gunshot wounds to the KU Medical Center around 5 p.m., according to dispatchers. Two other victims were taken by ground ambulance to Kansas City-area hospitals, McKinley said.

All three victims were heading into surgery around 6:30 p.m., McKinley said.

Lawrence and Kansas University police teamed up to search for two men wearing blue jeans and black, long-sleeved shirts, one of whom appeared to be wearing a gun holster. One man was carrying a gray sweatshirt, KU police said, possibly concealing a weapon with it.

McKinley said the men are still thought to have weapons with them.

“The suspects did leave (the crime scene) and are believed to be armed,” McKinley said.

The suspects and victims knew one another, McKinley said. Police believe the shooting occurred after an altercation inside the home culminated in gunfire.

After the shooting, two individuals fled east from the home, then turned south, McKinley said, though some witnesses believed they saw the suspects split up and run toward the KU campus, McKinley added.

One neighbor, who did not wish to be named, said her daughter saw a gray sedan driven by a woman drop off two men before the shooting. The two men then entered the back door of the home and later exited, the neighbor said, one holding a pistol and the other a semi-automatic rifle.

When the men exited, they yelled, “Where is she?” before heading south through back yards and discarding magazines, the neighbor said.

Three ambulances arrived shortly after the shooting, and neighbors saw three victims, all men, taken from the house on stretchers. Two of the men were conscious and alert, while a third, who was only wearing boxer shorts, was unconscious, neighbors said.

McKinley said that detectives were listening to many reports of the evening’s events, but the most accurate accounts will come from the victims themselves.

“The best information is going to come from those three individuals shot,” McKinley said.

As police continued to investigate late Sunday night, 19th Terrace from Hillview to Ousdahl roads was blocked to traffic. McKinley said officers were locating evidence in and around the neighborhood, suggesting the men fled on foot.

Neighbors described their community as quiet and family friendly. Children played nearby on a tire swing as police investigated the home where the shooting took place.

But Terry Fewel, who lives across the street, said the home saw suspicious activity lately.

“I’m not surprised (a shooting happened),” Fewel said. “People are in and out of that house all night. That place never shut down.”

Fewel said he’s called police on the home’s unusual happenings in the past. He said he suspected the incident may have been an armed robbery gone wrong.

“Except for that house, this is a great neighborhood,” Fewel noted.

The suspects remained on the loose as of Monday morning. McKinley said the investigators would likely remain on scene through the day Monday.

The first suspect is described as a white male in his mid 20s, 5’9″, 180 lbs., wearing a gray sweatshirt, a black shirt, blue jeans, a black ski mask and carrying a semi-automatic weapon. The second suspect is described as a white male in his mid 20s, 5’7″, 200 lbs., with blond hair, wearing a black hoodie, a black shirt with a silver logo, blue jeans and carrying a handgun.

Anyone with information on this crime should call Lawrence Police at 832-7509 or CrimeStoppers at 843-TIPS (8477). Calls made to CrimeStoppers may be made anonymously and callers could be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000 for information leading to an arrest in this case.


A previous version of this story incorrectly identified the address of the crime scene. The house is 1621 W. 19th Terrace.