Police identify man, 20, who died in north Wichita shooting

One person died and another was critically injured in a shooting triggered by road rage early Tuesday in north Wichita, police say.

Officers responded around 1:59 a.m. to a shooting call in the 1500 block of North Poplar, which is near Grove.

Joshua Batemon, 20, of Wichita, died at the scene from a gunshot wound to his upper body. An 18-year-old was taken to a hospital and remains there, Wichita Police Department spokesperson Andrew Ford said.

Both victims did not live in the area where the shooting occurred, Ford added.

A Sedgwick County Emergency Communications dispatcher said one 911 caller told them “someone was shooting in the backyard and a friend who was in his backyard possibly shot back” and another caller said that “someone was shot in the street.”

Detectives were speaking with a person of interest in connection with the shooting to determine what led to the incident. No arrests have been made so far, Ford said.

“Preliminary information relayed to investigators suggests all individuals involved know each other and that a possible road rage incident in the 1900 block of Broadway hours prior may have led to the subsequent shooting,” a WPD news release said.

Anyone with information on the shooting is encouraged to call police detectives at 316-268-4407.

This is at least the city’s second homicide of the year; another death is still being investigated to determine whether it’s a homicide.

This story was originally published January 23, 2024 at 8:55 AM.