LAWRENCE, Kan. — The Lawrence Police Department says an 18-year-old male is dead and a 16-year-old male is in critical condition after an overnight shooting at the Jayhawk Cafe, a bar more widely known as The Hawk.
Officers were called just before 2 a.m. Saturday to the establishment located on 13th and Ohio streets.
Upon arrival, officers discovered two victims with gunshot wounds.
An 18-year-old male, whose identity has yet to be revealed, was pronounced dead at the scene.
The second victim, a 16-year-old male, was taken to an area trauma center, where he remains in critical condition.
Several potential witnesses told officers that the suspects had left the scene.
Police said that while officers on scene tended to the victims, others flooded the surrounding area.
Officers later found a group of people matching the suspects’ descriptions walking just blocks away.
The suspects were then taken in for questioning by detectives.
Through the course of the investigation, probable cause was developed to suggest charging one suspect with first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder and aggravated assault, and a second suspect with felony murder and aggravated assault, per LKPD.
Both suspects were booked into the Douglas County Correctional Facility and are not believed to be from the Lawrence area.
"It really does just kind of snap you back into reality," said Adan Pinilla, a junior at KU.
Pinilla said he's always felt safe in the area where the shooting took place, often choosing to hang out at a bar called Bullwinkles.
When asked about The Hawk, Pinilla said he'd rather spend his time at Bullwinkles because of the age the other bar attracts.
"Like a freshman bar, per se, because a lot of freshmen like to go to The Hawk," Pinilla said.
Pinilla said this is an incident that shouldn't have happened.
"It's sad to think that you, like you go out to have fun and just, you never think something like that would happen," Pinilla said.
Despite the overnight shooting, he said he still feels safe going out in Lawrence.
"Kansas and Lawrence, I never kind of worried about that. I feel safe," Pinilla said. "People are pretty honest. I've never been scared or anything like that."
Other people we talked to off-camera also echoed Pinilla's thoughts on Lawrence's safety.
KSHB 41's Braden Bates reached out to The Hawk. After a brief phone call, an employee of the business said they do not have a statement.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
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