Man, 21, sentenced to more than 55 years in shooting that paralyzed Wichitan

A 21-year-old Wichita man was sentenced Thursday to more than 55 years in prison for attempted murder and other felony convictions, the Sedgwick County District Attorney’s Office.

District Court Judge Joseph Bribiesca imposed the 661-month term on Tyler Ruhl for his role in a shooting that left a 51-year-old Wichitan Timothy Gurley paralyzed. Ruhl was sentenced on the attempted first-degree murder count, as well as counts of attempted aggravated robbery, aggravated battery and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, the district attorney’s office said in a news release. He was convicted in August at trial.

Two others connected to the shooting also were sentenced to prison. Travis Sites, 23, received 71 months in September on counts of attempted aggravated robbery and aggravated battery, court records show.

In August, 26-year-old Shannon Harden was given a 68-month term for attempted aggravated robbery, aggravated battery and criminal possession of a firearm, records show.

Gurley was found with a bullet wound to his left side at his home in the 300 block of North Lorraine on Sept. 7, 2013, the district attorney’s office said. Sites was one of Gurley’s employees, the office said.

This story was originally published October 16, 2014 at 6:06 PM with the headline "Man, 21, sentenced to more than 55 years in shooting that paralyzed Wichitan."