KSHB 41 reporter Lily O’Shea Becker covers Franklin and Douglas counties in Kansas. Share your story idea with Lily.
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Legal counsel for one of the two 18-year-olds charged in the fatal shooting at Jayhawk Cafe, also known as The Hawk, in Lawrence on Jan. 17 filed a motion for immunity on Sunday.
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The motion says Daitron Daniels Strickland fired his gun toward a wall next to The Hawk's front door after he was "scared by multiple gunshots in close proximity to him" and that he "did not aim at anyone."
On a motion for pretrial immunity, Douglas County District Court would need to examine all available evidence before deciding whether the state has established Daniels Strickland's use of force was not justified in this case, according to the Kansas Office of Revisor of Statutes.
An 18-year-old was killed, and a 16-year-old was critically injured in the shooting at the college bar located at 1340 Ohio St.
Caiden Clem, of Atchison, Kansas, is charged with one count of first-degree murder for the death of Aidan Knowles, 18. Clem also faces two counts of aggravated assault using a deadly weapon for the shooting that left Brady Clark, 16, critically injured.
Daniels Strickland, of Shawnee, is charged with second-degree murder in Knowles' death and one count of attempted second-degree murder of Clark. Daniels Strickland faces an additional charge of attempted second-degree murder of a third victim.
The Hawk's video surveillance caught different events of the incident through multiple cameras located both in and outside the bar, according to an affidavit filed in the case.
READ MORE | New documents reveal moments before deadly shooting at Lawrence, Kansas, bar
Clem, Daniels Strickland and two others were captured sneaking into The Hawk around 11 p.m. on Jan. 16, according to the affidavit.
Around 1:45 a.m. on Jan. 17, bar staff members asked Clem and those in his group to leave the bar. Clem and at least three of his associates then began verbally and physically fighting with staff, per the court document.
The Hawk staff members were able to get Clem and his group, including Daniels Strickland, outside of the bar.
According to the affidavit, Clem fired three to five rounds shortly after exiting the bar. At that time, Daniels Strickland, who began walking away from the incident, turned and pulled a handgun from his waistband.
Daniels Strickland pointed his firearm toward three people, per the affidavit. Out of those three people, only one — Knowles — is identified in the affidavit. The other two names are redacted.
The affidavit states Daniels Strickland fired an unknown number of rounds toward those three people before fleeing the area.
The motion for immunity claims Daniels Strickland "pointed his gun toward the wall and did not aim at anyone," and that he "did not see where the initial gunshots came from, and he did not see anyone directly in front of him when he fired."
According to the motion, Daniels Strickland believed he was in "imminent danger of death or great bodily harm" after hearing gunshots in close proximity following a "chaotic scene outside a bar where an altercation had just taken place."
The motion goes on to say Daniels Strickland's "immediate reaction was a natural reaction to defend himself."
The motion references Daniel Strickland's statement to police, which is documented in the affidavit. Daniels Strickland provided the statement to police at 4:12 a.m. on Jan. 17.
In his statement, Daniels Strickland said he fired at a half-cement wall next to the front door of The Hawk because he was "scared" after hearing gunshots. He told police he did not aim at anyone nor did he see anyone directly in front of him when he fired the rounds, per the affidavit.
During a court appearance on Jan. 21, Daniels Strickland's attorney, Razmi Tahirkheli, asked for an immunity hearing in addition to a preliminary hearing.
Judge Amy Hanley set the hearings for Feb. 10.
Clem's attorney, Carl Cornwell, directly stated he would not be asking for an immunity hearing.
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