Man pleads guilty to killing older brother during fight at Wichita apartment
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Thomas Harris pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter in 2020 shooting.
- The fatal dispute began over pain pills during a visit to Harris' apartment.
- Sentencing is scheduled for August 22 following plea before planned trial.
A Wichita man has pleaded guilty to killing his older brother during a scuffle at his apartment in 2020.
Thomas Harris, 66, pleaded guilty on Monday ahead of his jury trial to voluntary manslaughter and attempted second-degree murder in the Oct. 12, 2020, shooting death of 68-year-old Troy L. Harris of Wichita. He was originally charged with second-degree murder but admitted to the lesser charge, which contends the killing happened “upon a sudden quarrel or in the heat of passion.”
Troy Harris called 911 around 1 p.m. to report that he had been shot in the chest while visiting his brother’s apartment at 2713 S. Emporia, near Pawnee and Broadway. According to a probable cause affidavit, Thomas Harris pulled the gun and fired multiple times at his older brother inside the apartment during an argument over pain pills.
Thomas Harris told police he grabbed the gun to scare his brother after Troy became upset and tried to jump him, court records say. The gun went off as they wrestled over it, Thomas Harris claimed.
Officers found Troy Harris wounded in the parking lot next to a car. He died at a Wichita hospital.
Thomas Harris is scheduled for sentencing on Aug. 22.
