Shooting that killed man, 19, at Riverside apartment was accidental, Wichita police say
Wichita police say a 19-year-old man killed Tuesday night by a friend died in an accidental shooting.
Jyrez Ricks of Wichita was hit when a gun 21-year-old Jordan Williams was handling inside of an apartment in the 500 block of North Nims accidentally discharged, police spokesman Officer Charley Davidson said in a news release.
When police officers arrived at the address at around 8 p.m. in response to a shooting call, they found Ricks dead in the parking lot of Villa Del Mar Apartments. The complex is near the Keeper of the Plains.
Davidson said Ricks and Williams were inside of an apartment at the complex with three other men who were friends when the shooting occurred. He said investigators think Ricks went outside on his own and that his friends may have tried to get him help before he died.
Williams has been arrested on suspicion of involuntary manslaughter. Online jail records show he was booked at 2:30 a.m. Wednesday.
“The investigation is ongoing, and the case will be presented to the Sedgwick County District Attorney’s Office,” Davidson said in the release. The DA’s Office will decide what formal criminal charges, if any, to pursue in court.
This is at least the second accidental shooting in Wichita in recent days. Last week, a 3-year-old girl accidentally shot her father with a handgun as he slept at a south Wichita home. Both were hurt but survived.
In light of the shootings, Wichita police are encouraging gun owners to always keep firearms stored unloaded with security features engaged in gun cases or lock boxes, store ammunition separately and talk to children about gun safety.
Police are urging people who find guns to leave them alone and notify an adult if they are a child, assume they’re loaded and avoid pointing them at anyone.
This story was originally published July 21, 2021 at 10:32 AM.
