WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) – Three different shootings in Wichita in about 12 hours is leaving city leaders scrambling for answers.
“People just need to find a different way to resolve their differences,” said city council member Maggie Ballard. “Kids are getting guns and getting in the hands of people, and then, there’s ultimately consequences.”
Ballard is not alone. Wichita police say their investigation unit was on overtime Saturday into Sunday.
Multiple shots were fired at one shooting after a group of at least a dozen people were at the Keeper of the Plains.
“I am not positive how many, but there is a lot of casings out there,” said WPD Sgt. Paul Kimble. “And we believe it is more than one gun involved.”
One woman, who did not want to be identified, said her sons were at the Keeper meeting people when the shots rang out. She says two bullets hit their vehicle, barely missing both.
“Every year this time, these things happen, and the trend just kind of repeats itself,” said Larry Burks Sr., president of the Wichita branch of the NAACP. “Some of it is gang-related. But we have to do a better job of talking and not taking to guns and killing.”
Wichita police have not yet confirmed if any of the three shootings over the weekend were possibly gang-related.
Still, Burks Sr. says there needs to be a plan to combat violence with youth.
“Availability of guns in our community is something that causes problems, and they use guns instead of any other form of conflict resolution,” said Burks Sr. “And we need to find better ways of resolving conflicts if that’s the root of some of these things. As opposed to going to that ultimate extreme of using guns and killing.”
