Shooting at bar near KU kills 18-year-old, injures teen. Suspects in custody
One man died and a teenager remains in critical condition after a shooting at a popular Lawrence bar near the University of Kansas Saturday night, police said.
On Sunday afternoon, Lawrence Police confirmed the victim was identified as 18-year-old Aidan Knowles.
Bobby Knowles, Aidan’s father, wrote on Facebook, “We have learned that our son was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. We are completely devastated.”
Officers with the Lawrence Police Department responded just after 2 a.m. for a reported shooting at Jayhawk Cafe, known locally as “The Hawk.” When they arrived, officers found two people with apparent gunshot wounds, according to a news release.
Paramedics responded and pronounced Knowles dead at the scene, police said.
A 16-year-old boy was transported to a hospital with serious injuries. As of early Saturday morning, the boy remained in critical condition, police said.
Two suspects arrested
Several witnesses at the scene told officers that suspects left the bar after the shooting. Multiple officers responded to the area in search of the suspects, the news release said.
Officers eventually found a group of people walking a few blocks away from the bar who matched the suspects’ descriptions. They were taken into custody and questioned by police, according to a news release.
One suspect is being held on suspicion of first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder and aggravated assault, police said in a news release. A second suspect is being held on suspicion of felony murder and aggravated assault, the news release said.
Both suspects were booked into the Douglas County jail Saturday. According to booking records, the suspects appear to be two 18-year-old men.
The Star is not yet naming the suspects since official charges have not been filed in court as of Saturday morning.
This is a developing story and will be updated as new information comes available.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to reflect that the shooting took place in the early hours of Saturday morning. A previous version of the story said the shooting happened on Friday.
This story was originally published January 17, 2026 at 11:25 AM.
