Wichita police identify gunman in Old Town club shooting that left 1 dead, 5 hurt
A 34-year-old man was killed and five women were hurt after a gunman opened fire overnight outside of a nightclub in Wichita’s Old Town entertainment district.
The shooter — identified by authorities as 23-year-old Keshawn Maurice Dawson of Wichita — remained at large Tuesday, Wichita police spokesman Officer Charley Davidson said. Anyone with information about the case or Dawson’s whereabouts is asked to call Wichita police detectives at 316-268-4646 or leave an anonymous tip with Wichita-Sedgwick County Crime Stoppers at 316-267-2111.
Crime Stoppers tipsters may be eligible for a cash reward if their information leads to an arrest.
Police say Dawson should not be approached by anyone who might recognize him.
During a news conference late Tuesday morning, Capt. Jason Stephens said Dawson opened fire at the Enigma Club & Lounge, 351 N. Mosley, after he was kicked out by employees following a fight that turned physical.
He “returned a short time later and fired multiple rounds with a (semi-automatic) handgun through windows into the club from the outside, striking the victims,” according to a Wichita Police Department news release.
Dawson fled in a dark-colored vehicle afterward, Stephens said.
When police officers arrived at the club around 12:40 a.m. Tuesday, they found six people with gunshot wounds. All were taken to a Wichita hospital for treatment.
Local bartender Preston Spencer, 34, of Wichita, died from his injuries, police said. He was shot once in the torso, Stephens said.
The five women, who range in age from 22 to 40, suffered non-life-threatening injuries in the shooting. Most were hit in the legs, Stephens said. One woman was hit in the arm and lower back.
Stephens said Tuesday that police identified Dawson as the shooter using technology, including video surveillance footage, and through witness interviews.
It’s unclear what relationship, if any, he may have had with Spencer or whether Spencer was involved in the fight that preceded the shooting. Investigators were still exploring that avenue Tuesday, Stephens said.
In addition to the nightclub shooting, Dawson is also wanted on at least two felony warrants, Stephens said Tuesday.
One of those warrants was issued by a Sedgwick County judge on Aug. 24 after Dawson failed to show up to his sentencing hearing in a weapons possession case where he could have received a prison term, court records show. In that case, he pleaded guilty to one of three charges — attempted possession of a weapon by a convicted felon — in March, the records show.
The other warrant is tied to another gun possession case from this year, according to the county’s searchable public warrants database.
Dawson’s criminal history prohibits him from possessing a gun, Stephens said. His convictions include criminal threat, criminal damage to property, domestic violence, driving without a valid license and several counts of criminal possession of a weapon by a convicted felon, according to court records.
Some of the crimes were committed when Dawson was a juvenile, the records show.
This story was originally published September 7, 2021 at 9:32 AM.
