Man arrested in fatal shooting of wife Wednesday night

Wichita police have arrested a 29-year-old man suspected of killing his 26-year-old wife by shooting her multiple times at O.J. Watson Park and taking her in a van to a home in the 1300 block of West 42nd Street South.

Wichita police Lt. Todd Ojile, head of the homicide unit, gave this account:

The 911 system received a call shortly before 6 p.m. on Wednesday from a home in the 1300 block of West 42nd Street. A man told an emergency dispatcher that he had shot his wife and that her body was in a van outside the residence.

Police found the woman with multiple gunshot wounds; she was pronounced dead at 6:24 p.m. at a hospital. Police immediately took the man into custody and brought him to police offices, where interviews were conducted.

During the investigation, police learned that the shooting occurred at Watson Park in south Wichita and that the man then drove to the residence, where a friend lives. He called 911 and said he had shot his wife, Ojile said.

He was booked into jail late Wednesday night on suspicion of first-degree murder but has yet to be charged, Ojile said. Police will present their investigation on Friday or Monday to prosecutors, who will determine whether charges are filed.

The man and woman had been husband and wife for several years and recently separated. Ojile said he didn’t know what led to the shooting.

The couple have two children.

A police arrest report and a jail record identify the man as Pierre Washington, 29.

Police think the shooting at the park occurred 20 to 30 minutes before the man got to the house and called 911.

The woman had multiple wounds to her upper body, Ojile said.

Police don’t think any other people witnessed the shooting, he said.

Investigators are trying to determine if the shooting occurred in the van or outside it in the park, he said. Police found evidence in the van and in the park. The shooting occurred in the northwest part of the park.

This story was originally published October 29, 2015 at 11:20 AM with the headline "Man arrested in fatal shooting of wife Wednesday night."