Gang-war murder connected to other crimes

WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) - A case from November 1991 remains on the minds of Wichita investigators, who say organized gangs turned the streets into a war zone, and solving this crime could help close the books on several others.

It was November 19, 1991, at a motel on North Broadway in Wichita. Nineteen-year-old Chauncey Conway was staying in a room with a girl when there was a knock at the door. When he opened the door, a man pointed a shotgun at Chauncey’s face and pulled the trigger. Someone at the motel office had called Chauncey’s room to warn him, but the call came too late.

Detective Tim Relph says the murder happened when gangs in Wichita were at war.

“It’s just a real affront to society the way these groups made the streets their war zone,” Detective Relph said. “Some of these gangs were coming from California. Some east coast influence. There were some powerful local gangs. It was just a violent, violent time. This was at the end of my run on the streets, and I can tell you it was a tough time.”

Factfinder 12 was unable to locate any of Chauncey Conway’s family. Finding justice for Chauncey and his family remains a priority for investigators. The case, according to Relph, could also be the key to solving several other cases. Some of those cases are directly connected to this one, others are not.

“I think there are retaliations and things like that. This one was in the middle of a series. That’s why we’re hoping to push one domino and maybe solve several. There was a lot of rippling crime from this, so a lot of the community was affected by this feud,” Relph said. “No matter who is the victim, I always tell people, at one time that boy was precious to somebody and that doesn’t go away.”

The two people Detective Relph says he believes were involved in this case are older now. He says they undoubtedly have less reach on the street than they once did. He believes this may be the right time for someone to finally step forward if they know anything about it.

If you are that person, you can contact investigators by clicking this link.

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