23-Year-Old Killed in Downtown Lawrence Shooting, Police Seek Suspect
A 23-year-old man was shot and killed early Sunday in downtown Lawrence, Kansas, and police are asking the public for help as the search for the shooter continues.
What police say happened
Officers were called to a parking lot in the 700 block of New Hampshire Street at about 3 a.m. Sunday after reports of gunfire, according to Kansas Public Radio. Responding officers found 23-year-old Victor Gabriel Moreno suffering from a gunshot wound. Police and EMTs rendered aid, but Moreno was declared dead at the scene.
The Lawrence Police Department is investigating the death as a homicide. No suspect was in custody as of Monday morning, and detectives were still working to establish the circumstances surrounding the shooting. Police are asking anyone with information to call dispatch at 785-843-0250, or to submit an anonymous tip through Crime Stoppers of Lawrence and Douglas County at 785-843-TIPS, according to the Kansan.
The killing came on a violent weekend across the country. Hours later in Washington, a National Guard member was shot after troops intervened in a street fight, and the two incidents together have renewed attention on gun violence. The Lawrence shooting lands as crime dominates the midterm campaign debate.
What comes next
Homicide investigations in the early hours often turn on witness accounts, and police have emphasized that the case remains active. The 700 block of New Hampshire Street sits in a busy downtown corridor, and investigators will be reviewing surveillance footage and canvassing for anyone who saw or heard what happened around 3 a.m.
For Lawrence, a college town home to the University of Kansas, a downtown homicide is a shock. Police say updates will be provided as the investigation develops.
