Wichita man sitting on couch killed by bullet fired during family fight, police say
Updated 10:30 a.m.: Wichita police say a man is dead after he was inadvertently shot by his aunt during a struggle over a handgun at a south-side home Sunday evening.
John Ross, 27, of Wichita, wasn’t involved in the argument but was hit by a bullet when the gun went off, police said Thursday. He was sitting on a couch at the home, in the 800 block of South Terrace, when the bullet struck his chest. Bystanders took him to an area hospital for help but he didn’t survive.
The gunfire happened after Ross’s aunt, 59-year-old Sandra Denise Ross, grabbed a handgun as she fought with another relative, police said Thursday.
During the ensuing struggle over the weapon, it discharged. Police were told about the shooting at about 7:40 p.m. Sunday, after John Ross arrived at the hospital for treatment.
After looking at evidence and talking to eyewitnesses, police arrested the aunt on Wednesday on suspicion of involuntary manslaughter. She was booked into the Sedgwick County Jail at around 11:30 a.m., records show.
The authorities plan to present their investigation to the Sedgwick County District Attorney’s Office, which will decide what formal criminal charges might be filed.
There have been 16 homicides in the city so far this year that the Wichita Police Department considers to be criminal in nature. There have also been four other killings that the department considers accidental or justified.
Original story: A 59-year-old Wichita woman was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of involuntary manslaughter in connection to a homicide from Sunday night, records show.
Sandra Denise Ross was booked into the Sedgwick County Jail at around 11:30 a.m. Wednesday. A police log gives some details in the case:
Ross’ arrest is connected to an incident where police were called 7:40 p.m. Sunday to a “walk-in shooting victim at STJ,” which is likely Ascension Via Christi St. Joseph hospital. The person died just after 8 p.m. A suspect was taken to the sixth floor, where the Wichita police homicide section is, interviewed and then released.
Wichita police are expected to release more details today.
This story was originally published May 6, 2021 at 9:06 AM.