Wichita Copes With 2 Quadruple Murders
W I C H I T A, Kan., Dec. 15 -- Police today said four people were abducted, taken to a bankATM machine and driven to a field where they were shot dead — Wichita’s second quadruple homicide in eight days. A fifth victimwas wounded.
Unnerved city leaders vowed Wichita would not give in toviolence, just more than a week after another group of four people were found deadin a northeast Wichita home — about 5 miles from today’s crimescene.
“I confess to you I don’t understand how human beings couldtreat each other that way,” said Mayor Bob Knight, joined at anews conference by four City Council members.
Knight said later, “This community is not going to be defeatedby savage acts like this.”
Suspects in Custody
Two suspects linked to today’s case, both men, were in custodyby midday, though no charges had been filed. Tips led policeto arrest the first man about 9 a.m. local time; the second was arrested about1 p.m. after officers tackled him as he ran from a house away fromthe crime scene.
No other suspects were sought.
Police believe the victims were abducted from a home, taken tothe ATM and then to a field about 100 yards from the Greenwich Roadexit on Kansas 96, where they were shot.
“We don’t believe they voluntarily came out here,” policeCapt. Robert Lee said. He said detectives were investigatingpossible links between the crime and ATM withdrawals.
Connection to Shooting?Lee said detectives also were probing whether the shootings wereconnected to a shooting Monday that injured one woman. Otherdetails of that incident were not released.
Three victims were found dead about 2:30 a.m. near a car in thefield. A fourth victim was taken from the scene to a Wichitahospital more than three hours later but died at the hospital. Leedeclined to explain the delay in transporting the victim, sayingthat emergency medics had made the determination.
By the time dawn broke, police had isolated numerous crimescenes throughout the city: the house from where the victims wereabducted, a Wichita bank, the remote field where the bodies werefound, a house near the crime scene where one of the victims ranfor help, and an apartment complex near Wichita State Universitywhere the suspects’ truck was located.
