photo by: Sylas May/Journal-World

Daitron Daniels Strickland, left, talks with attorney Angela Trimble in Douglas County District Court on Thursday, Nov. 12, 2026.

The remaining defendant in the shooting that killed one teenager and injured another at the Jayhawk Cafe in January has pleaded not guilty, and his trial has been set for March of next year.

Daitron Daniels Strickland entered his plea on Thursday in Douglas County District Court. He’s facing charges of first-degree murder, two counts of attempted first-degree murder, criminal possession of a firearm by a felon and misdemeanor battery in the shooting that killed Aiden Sullivan Knowles, 18, and critically wounded Brady Clark, 16.

The shooting took place on Jan. 17 outside of the popular college bar on Ohio Street that’s commonly known as The Hawk. Details about what led to it have come out in previous hearings in Daniels Strickland’s case and the case of his friend, Caiden Clem, which was resolved when Clem pleaded guilty to multiple lower-level felonies last month.

Testimony regarding video evidence indicated that there was a disturbance at the bar, during which Clem pulled a gun on a staff member, and that Clem then fired several shots into the air as he left The Hawk and walked across the street. After hearing Clem’s shots, Daniels Strickland fired his gun and struck the two teens. Daniels Strickland’s attorney Razmi Tahirkheli argued — unsuccessfully — that he was “entitled” to fire the shots in self-defense when he heard Clem’s “multiple gunshots in close proximity to him.”

Daniels Strickland didn’t speak during Thursday’s hearing, except to confirm to Judge Amy Hanley that he was waiving his formal arraignment. After his plea, Hanley set a five-day trial to begin on March 22, 2027.

The speedy trial deadline for a defendant held in jail is 150 days after arraignment, and if the trial doesn’t begin by then, the case would be at risk of being dismissed. That date falls on April 11, so Hanley stressed that all the deadlines would have to be hit.

“Folks, understand that puts us right on the wire,” she said.

It’s not uncommon, though, for defendants to waive speedy trial rights if they think it would be in their best interest to do so.

Hanley reminded Tahirkheli, co-counsel Angela Trimble and prosecutor Eve Kemple of her Division 1 courtroom’s busy docket, with multiple jury trials already scheduled early next year, and said it would be a problem if attorneys were “getting motions in in February or last-minute things.” Tahirkheli did say that he would be filing a suppression motion and also pursuing a change of venue, but those are set for a motions hearing in January.

“Division 1 doesn’t do things late,” Hanley said.

Daniels Strickland is in custody on a $1 million bond.