LAWRENCE, Kan. — The Douglas County, Kansas, District Attorney's Office formally charged two 18-year-olds with murder Tuesday in connection with Saturday's deadly shooting outside the Jayhawk Cafe bar in Lawrence.
Caiden Clem, 18, of Atchison, Kansas, faces one charge of first-degree murder in the death of Aidan Knowles, 18, and two counts of aggravated assault using a deadly weapon in the shooting that left 16-year-old Brady Clark injured.
Daitron Daniels Strickland, 18, of Shawnee, is charged with second-degree murder in Knowles' death, one count of attempted second-degree murder of Clark, and attempted second-degree murder of a third victim.
Clem and Daniels Strickland made their first appearance on the charges on Tuesday afternoon.
KSHB 41 looked through court records for both suspects.
We found court records that showed Daniels Strickland brought a loaded handgun to Olathe Northwest High School on Feb. 23, 2024. KSHB 41 reported on the issue, but did not name the suspect at the time because he was a juvenile.
In 2024, the Olathe Police Department confirmed that no one was injured and that the student didn’t threaten anyone with the gun. He was taken into custody.
Court records showed Daniels Strickland was released from the Kansas Juvenile Correctional Complex last August.
Clem had been previously charged with burglary, theft of a firearm and criminal damage to property in 2023, according to his juvenile court records.
In court Tuesday, the Douglas County senior assistant district attorney addressed the criminal backgrounds of both suspects as reasons not to lower their bond.
The prosecution asked that the bond for both be set at $1 million. The pair is expected to appear for another hearing Wednesday morning.
The Jayhawk Cafe released a statement recently, saying the establishment's "thoughts are with the individuals who were harmed, their families and loved ones and all those affected."
"We are fully cooperating with law enforcement in their ongoing investigation," the cafe's owners said. "The safety of our guests and staff remains our top priority, and we appreciate the quick response from first responders."
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