Police: Man arrested in shooting of former girlfriend

A 22-year-old woman remains hospitalized in what police are calling “extremely critical condition” after she was shot in the head Monday, allegedly by her former boyfriend.

Wichita police Lt. Todd Ojile said authorities think the shooting happened sometime before noon. The woman was found by her mother around 4 p.m. in the 2600 block of North Meadow Oaks, near 29th and Woodlawn.

She and her 27-year-old former boyfriend ended their relationship a few weeks ago but had continued communicating off and on prior to the shooting, Ojile said. He didn’t say what exactly prompted Monday’s violence.

Family members of the woman had been trying to contact her throughout the day but got no response, Ojile said. She was discovered unconscious at the Meadow Oaks address after failing to meet her mother Monday afternoon.

“She was supposed to pick her mother up from work shortly after 3 (p.m.) yesterday but did not show up. So the mother ended up getting a ride home from a co-worker,” Ojile said. “That is when she discovered her daughter inside of the residence.”

The woman was taken to Wesley Medical Center for treatment. Ojile described her injury as “severe.”

After learning about the recent break up, police found the woman’s former boyfriend at a home in Andover and took him into custody for an interview, Ojile said. He was booked into Sedgwick County Jail at 11:29 p.m. on suspicion of attempted first-degree murder and aggravated burglary, online jail records show.

He had not been formally charged with any crimes as of Tuesday morning. Booking records list a Manhattan address for the former boyfriend.

Ojile said police found a handgun thought to be used in the shooting in a lake in far east Wichita early Tuesday morning. He did not disclose the address where it was recovered.

This story was originally published October 4, 2016 at 11:37 AM with the headline "Police: Man arrested in shooting of former girlfriend."