Wichita man sentenced for shooting teen during marijuana deal near Central and Oliver
A 21-year-old Wichita man has been sentenced to nine years, one month in prison for killing a teenager during a drug deal last summer near Central and Oliver.
Defense lawyers for Tobias Love said Friday that Love was defending himself from a robbery attempt when he fatally shot 17-year-old Jaron Reed at 903 N. Glendale on July 1, 2023. Attorney Steven Mank told Sedgwick County District Judge Jeffrey Goering that Reed had posed as a female when he asked to buy marijuana from Love over Snapchat and tried to pay for the drugs with counterfeit cash.
When Love refused to sell, Reed pulled a gun and shot Love, Mank said, adding that Love usually only sold marijuana to females and was careful to avoid confrontation.
Love responded by firing back. The shooting was reported at about 6:20 p.m.
Police officers who responded to the Glendale address that night found Reed unconscious and with a gunshot wound to his torso. A revolver with three spent casings and two live rounds were beside his body, according to a probable-cause affidavit released by the court.
Two 9mm casings, a baggie of marijuana and several counterfeit bills were in the street, the affidavit says.
Reed, a Wichita resident, was pronounced dead 15 minutes after the shooting had been reported, according to the affidavit.
Love was arrested after he sought treatment at a Wichita hospital for the gunshot wound to his hand. He pleaded guilty in December to one count each of second-degree reckless murder and distribution of marijuana, court records show.
.JPG "tobias love mugshot (1).JPG")
At his sentencing hearing Friday, Love asked Reed’s family to forgive him for what he said was a mistake, although none of Reed’s relatives were in the courtroom to hear him.
“I’m not a bad person. I just made a poor decision,” Love said.
Sedgwick County Assistant District Attorney Robert Short asked Goering to sentence Love to a total of 117 months in prison, while Mank asked for 109 months.
Goering ultimately sentenced Love to 109 months in prison on the murder count and 14 months on the drug count and ordered the terms be served concurrently, or at the same time.
Love must also pay $6,000 in restitution to Reed’s mother for funeral costs, Goering ruled.
