photo by: Kim Callahan/Journal-World

The Douglas County Judicial and Law Enforcement Center is pictured on Nov. 25, 2025.

The man arrested in Sunday’s homicide in downtown Lawrence has now been charged with second-degree murder in Douglas County District Court.

The charge was filed Wednesday morning against Daileon Maurice Thomas, 23, of Olathe, who is accused of killing Victor Gabriel Moreno, 23, early Sunday morning.

Moreno was pronounced dead around 3 a.m. Sunday in a parking lot in the 700 block of New Hampshire Street, as the Journal-World reported. Police had responded to a report of gunshots, and investigators used public and private video, license plate readers and witness accounts to locate the suspect. Thomas was arrested without incident and booked into the Douglas County Jail on Monday.

Thomas was scheduled to have his first appearance in court on Wednesday afternoon.

Police have told the Journal-World that they do not have evidence of the two men having known each other prior to the incident Sunday. They have also said that they were able to recover the firearm they believe was involved in the killing.