Man undergoes surgery after southeast Wichita shooting

A man underwent surgery after he was critically injured in a shooting in southeast Wichita on Thursday morning, police said.

The shooting was reported at 5:50 a.m. in the 800 block of South Belmont, Sgt. James Krok said. That’s just north of Lincoln between Oliver and Hillside.

A 44-year-old man was asleep with his girlfriend on the floor of a bedroom when they were awakened by a noise, Lt. James Espinoza said. The man looked out a window and was shot in his right shoulder.

He was taken to Wesley Medical Center and underwent surgery because the bullet entered his torso and caused internal injuries, Espinoza said.

Witnesses “were being difficult,” Krok said. “No one wanted to cooperate.”

They were taken to City Hall for interrogation. Neighbors questioned by police had no information about a shooting suspect or vehicle.

Investigators are obtaining a search warrant to go into the house and search for any clues, he said.

“It’s very, very, very early in the investigation,” Krok said.

There are conflicting reports about how many shots were fired, Espinoza said. One person heard a single shot, while others have said they heard “a volley” of gun shots, he said.

Two orange cones marked the location of shell casings – one in the driveway, the other on or next to a sidewalk leading to the front door.

This story was originally published October 23, 2014 at 7:28 AM with the headline "Man undergoes surgery after southeast Wichita shooting."