Man jailed in toddler shooting at lake also tried to stab girl’s mother, sheriff says
Before a Wichita mother and her two young children were shot at as they fled an abduction that took them to a shoreline at Cheney Reservoir on Monday, the mother’s boyfriend tried to stab her and threatened to kill her, Sedgwick County Sheriff Jeff Easter said.
Kamden Campos, 21, of Wichita, was arrested following a nearly two-hour manhunt in Reno County on Monday afternoon after he allegedly shot a handgun into a rear of the car as the mother fled, injuring a 2-year-old girl who was sitting in a car seat.
The toddler was rushed to the hospital in critical condition after the mother noticed she had been wounded on the drive back to Wichita and called 911, authorities said earlier Monday.
The girl underwent surgery Monday afternoon and is “doing fine,” Easter said in a phone interview at around 5 p.m.
He said the girl “got out of surgery and is in recovery,” adding that last he knew, she was expected to survive.
Reno County authorities described her post-surgery condition as critical but stable.
Neither the mother or her other child, who is an infant, were harmed in the shooting, Easter said. But authorities said the mother may have ended up with abrasions and other minor injuries during the scuffle with Campos.
Easter on Monday afternoon gave the most complete account so far of what transpired between the couple before the family was taken to Cheney Reservoir and the girl was injured.
The sheriff said the boyfriend, who has been identified by other law enforcement as Campos, got into an argument with his girlfriend, who is also the mother of the young children, inside of a house in the area of 24th and Jeanette in Wichita sometime before taking them out to the lake.
The Reno County Sheriff’s Office said in a Monday evening Facebook post that the dispute at the Wichita house took place around 11 a.m.
Campos convinced the mother to get into a car with the two children so he could take them to another location during the argument, Easter said.
But after they were on their way, the mother quickly “figured out” that Campos was headed somewhere else, he said.
At some point after they left the house at 24th and Jeanette, Campos pulled a knife on the mother and began threatening her, including telling her that he would kill her, Easter said. He also tried to stab her, according to Easter.
The family and Campos ended up down a dead-end road at Cheney Reservoir, where Campos led the mother down to the water’s edge “with intent to harm her,” Reno County authorities said in the Monday evening Facebook post. But he became distracted with something, and the mother broke free and jumped into the car to escape.
As she drove off, Campos fired multiple shots into the rear of the four-door sedan, Reno County Sheriff Darrian Campbell said Monday. At least one bullet pierced the rear of the car and the back seat before penetrating the toddler’s car seat, striking her in the abdomen, Campbell said.
The mother did not immediately notice her daughter had been shot and drove awhile before seeing the wound, authorities said.
She called 911 shortly after noon and pulled over on the side of the road near Andale. Emergency medical services personnel rushed the girl to Wesley Medical Center, where she underwent surgery, authorities said.
The baby, Easter said, was checked for injuries, and, after authorities found none, released to grandparents.
Campos was booked into the Reno County Jail on suspicion of felony theft, aggravated kidnapping and multiple counts of attempted first-degree premeditated murder, an online log of inmates shows. His bond amount is more than $2.1 million.
Campbell said in an interview earlier Monday that formal charges would be forthcoming. He said his investigators were still searching for the gun used in the shooting on Monday evening and were bringing in another K-9 in “one more attempt” to find it.
The shooting occurred in the area of Sun City and Yoder Road.
Campos was arrested around Silver Lake and Obee Road.
The Eagle reported Monday that the 21-year-old has a history of violence, mental and verbal abuse and a past that includes “gun and drug activity.” He also has prior misdemeanor convictions over which he spent 18 months on probation, The Eagle reported.
This story was originally published July 19, 2021 at 7:25 PM.
