21-year-old Wichita man killed in shooting near University of Kansas campus in Lawrence
A 21-year-old Wichita man was fatally shot Wednesday night near the University of Kansas campus, a spokesman for the Lawrence Police Department said Thursday.
The victim was identified as Christian Willis, according to a news release.
Police responded to reports of a possible shooting at about 7:15 p.m. Wednesday in 1500 block of Kentucky Street. Arriving officers found Willis’ body. He was pronounced dead at the scene, said Patrick Compton, a Lawrence police spokesman.
The 1500 block of Kentucky Street is roughly two blocks east of campus, less than half a mile from the KU Memorial Union.
Willis was not a student at the university, a KU spokeswoman said.
A 20-year-old KU student said she and her roommates were watching TV when she heard two gunshots, which sounded like loud fireworks. Then they heard several more — about eight of them. They all ducked.
“We could like barely see that there just like a guy on the ground and there were like some people standing over him,” the college student said. “We later found out that they were giving him CPR.”
Another witness said he saw a black car leave the parking lot after the shooting, the smell of gunpowder was still in the air. The Mercedes headed north on Kentucky. A few minutes later, a man got into a red sedan and drove off erratically.
The witness, who has lived in the neighborhood several years, said he hadn’t heard a gunshot before in the neighborhood.
“The other day I was just thinking how quiet the neighborhood has been,” the witness said.
No suspect information was released. Police said the shooting remains under investigation and that no arrests have been made. The Star is not naming the witnesses as no arrest has been made.
Anyone with information about the homicide is asked to call the Lawrence Police Department’s Investigations Division at 785-830-7430 or Crime Stoppers at 785-843-TIPS (8477).
This story was originally published September 9, 2021 at 1:39 PM.
