Police arrest Lawrence man in shooting death of 30-year-old woman

Detectives investigate around the scene where a 30-year-old Lawrence woman was fatally shot Wednesday night, Dec. 27, 2017. The shooting occurred in the 2300 block of West 26th Street.

Police have arrested a man in connection with the shooting death of a woman last week in Lawrence.

Willie K. Franklin, 27, of Lawrence, was arrested overnight on suspicion of involuntary manslaughter and being a felon in possession of a firearm, the Lawrence Police Department announced Monday morning on its social media sites.

Franklin was booked into the jail about 12:30 a.m., and was being held on $100,000 bond, according to jail records. Franklin was arrested in the 3600 block of Riverview Road but lives at an apartment near 25th and Iowa streets, jail records indicate.

The shooting that killed 30-year-old Lei Ala A. Turner happened Wednesday night at the August Place Apartments in south Lawrence.

Police were dispatched at 11:10 p.m. to an apartment at 2310 W. 26th St., where officers found Turner with a single gunshot wound to her chest, police said previously. First-responders attempted life-saving measures, but Turner died from her injuries.

August Place Apartments, 2310 W. 26th St., are pictured Thursday, Dec. 28. 2017.

The next morning, police said they had identified a suspect and were working to locate him but did not publicly share the suspect’s name or any descriptive information. Police said “initial information” indicated that the shooting might have been accidental, but did not explain further what those initial reports were.

Turner did not live at the apartment complex where she was shot, a woman identifying herself as the complex manager said, and other residents at the scene told a reporter they did not know her.

Friends of Turner have set up a GoFundMe page to help cover funeral expenses: www.gofundme.com/leialaturnermemorial.

Lei-Ala A. Turner