photo by: Kim Callahan

Lawrence police respond to the scene of a fatal shooting across the street from the Lawrence Public Library on Vermont Street on Wednesday, March 6, 2024.

After a deadly shooting Wednesday across the street from the Lawrence Public Library, the library reached out to patrons Thursday with information on safety protocols and other details.

The shooting occurred just after 5 p.m. in front of a bus stop directly across from the library at 707 Vermont St. The library, normally open until 8 p.m., was shut down after a man was killed on the sidewalk, and staff assisted patrons out the back doors facing Kentucky Street. The lockdown was for safety reasons and to secure the crime scene on Vermont Street.

“We are saddened and shaken that an argument between two people led to one of our community members tragically losing their life,” the library’s email on Thursday said, and it requested that library users who were in the building at the time share their feedback on how the crisis was handled.

The library was open for regular hours Thursday, but some of its events had been canceled.

The email said that library staff met with Lawrence Police Chief Rich Lockhart Thursday for a debrief, at which they “talked about what happened, got updates on facts, and shared ways we can support each other and our library community moving forward.”

The suspect in Wednesday’s fatal shooting was arrested around 10 p.m. Wednesday on suspicion of second-degree murder, as the Journal-World reported.

“As unsettling as this situation is, Chief Lockhart encouraged us to lead with compassion,” the email said. “He pointed out that three of the homicides in the past year were within our houseless community, which places them on the front lines of this crisis. The library is doing everything we can to respond to our neighbors experiencing trauma with empathy, while taking measures to prioritize everyone’s safety.”

The library campus and the bus stop across the street have long been congregation areas for numerous pedestrians and bus riders in downtown Lawrence.

Last year, the library’s Board of Trustees approved a lease agreement with the city that granted the library jurisdiction over the outdoor space at 707 Vermont St. after community concerns arose about disruptive behavior in the area. Because the City of Lawrence owns the land the library sits on, including the lawn and the parking garage next door, library leaders had said they were hesitant to enforce the library behavior policy outdoors.

The type of conduct prohibited at the outdoor library space includes littering, alcohol and drug use, smoking and vaping, verbal harassment, off-leash or free-roaming animals, illegal activity and camping.

The shooting occurred across the street from the library, which does not have jurisdiction of that area — a place where people wait for the free buses that serve the city’s fixed routes until 8 p.m.

Homicides of people experiencing homelessness have included David Blaine Sullivan, 62, in July of last year, and Crystal White, 51, two weeks ago. Sullivan had been homeless off and on, and his body was found in the bushes at Sixth and Vermont streets. Authorities said he had been bludgeoned to death. White was stabbed to death in a tent at an unsanctioned campsite. Suspects have been charged in both cases.