Wichita police detain two, possibly in connection with homicide (+videos)

Wichita police detained two people following a brief car chase through Planeview on Wednesday evening after they were spotted in a car matching the description of one apparently involved in a homicide earlier in the day.

Wichita police Lt. James Espinoza would not confirm Wednesday evening whether the two were suspects in a morning drive-by shooting that killed a 26-year-old man.

“The homicide investigation continues,” he said Wednesday evening.

Police have called the homicide a gang-related drive-by shooting.

The shooting victim was pronounced dead after being transported to a Wichita hospital by ambulance, according to authorities. The shooting was reported at 11:44 a.m. in the 1200 block of North Fairview, Patrol North Capt. Brian White said at the scene, which is southeast of 13th and Waco.

The man was shot several times as he stood in the fenced, paved front yard of a house on the east side of Fairview, White said. He initially was in critical condition and undergoing surgery, White said, but he did not survive.

The man’s name has not yet been released by police. His death is the city’s third homicide of the year.

Wednesday morning, Espinoza had said the person or people responsible were still at large.

Police had been looking for a blue SUV that drove south on Fairview after the shooting, White said. It appears the shots were fired from the vehicle, he said.

Later Wednesday, police began chasing a vehicle that matched that description in the Planeview area at around 7:38 p.m., Espinoza said.

The chase ended at around 7:45 p.m. in the 3000 block of South Davidson, according to a Sedgwick County emergency dispatcher.

Orange cones and yellow lettered markers sat in the street in front of the two-story gray house earlier Wednesday, showing the location of shell casings.

A black puffy jacket lay on the concrete that paved the fenced yard of the house where the man was shot, a yellow lettered marker indicating it is evidence.

There were several people in the vicinity – including young children – when the shooting occurred, White said, but no other injuries were reported. Police have received conflicting information about how many people were inside the SUV from which the shots were fired.

“We’re interviewing a lot of witnesses right now,” White said.

Lt. Jeff Gilmore, head of the gang unit, said the victim appears to be a gang member and that the shooting is gang-related.

Four nearby schools were placed on lockdown as a safety precaution after the shooting: North High, Marshall Middle School and Horace Mann and Irving elementary schools, USD 259 spokeswoman Susan Arensman said. All lockdowns were lifted by 1 p.m.

“The primary reason for locking the school down was the close proximity of the scene,” White said.

Police are expected to release more information about the case at a 10 a.m. briefing on Thursday.

This story was originally published February 10, 2016 at 12:09 PM with the headline "Wichita police detain two, possibly in connection with homicide (+videos)."