Man, 44, charged in fatal shooting at party near Douglas, Grove
The first of two men arrested in connection with the shooting death of a 49-year-old man last week at a birthday party was charged Monday with intentional second-degree murder.
Teveere Royce Bates, 44, was ordered to return to Sedgwick County District Court on July 28 for his next hearing by Judge Christopher Magana.
The second man implicated, 52-year-old Isaac Riverson, has not yet been formally charged, although he is being held in Sedgwick County Jail on suspicion of second-degree murder in the death of Richard Romero, 49.
Investigators plan to present evidence against him to the Sedgwick County District Attorney’s Office on Tuesday, Wichita police Capt. Jeff Weible said Monday.
Romero was shot once in the upper chest shortly before 3 a.m. on July 8 on Estelle just north of Douglas. He taken to a hospital and was pronounced dead shortly before 3:15 a.m.
After the shooting, Bates was taken downtown for questioning and booked into the Sedgwick County Jail that evening on suspicion of first-degree murder.
Riverson was arrested shortly after 8 p.m. Friday after being questioned by police at City Hall.
On Monday, Weible said “there was a party going on” at an apartment house on the northeast corner of Douglas and Estelle prior to Romero’s death.
“There was some type of altercation that led up to the shooting,” he said.
Romero was shot in the street after the physical altercation, Weible said. Police have previously said he was shot once.
The dispute was not gang-related, police have said.
“As we’ve interviewed more people, more facts have come out,” Weible said.
Wichita police are not looking for any more suspects in the case. Weible would not say Monday whether the gun used in the killing had been found.
Bond for Bates is set at $250,000. He plans to hire an attorney in lieu of allowing the court to appoint one in his case, he told a judge Monday during his first appearance in court.
Riverson is being held on a $75,000 bond, according to the jail’s online inmate log.
Reach Stan Finger at 316-268-6437 or sfinger@wichitaeagle.com. Follow him on Twitter: @StanFinger.
This story was originally published July 13, 2015 at 3:32 PM with the headline "Man, 44, charged in fatal shooting at party near Douglas, Grove."