Paintballs shot into Topeka crowd hit teen in eye, sheriff says
TOPEKA (KSNT) - Deputies arrested a 16-year-old over the weekend after a drive-by paintball shooting that left another teen in the hospital, according to the Shawnee County Sheriff's Office.
The sheriff's office did not release the identity of the arrested teen because they are a minor, but the agency did say he faces a charge of aggravated battery and shared details on what happened. Deputies went around 1:30 a.m. Saturday to a parking lot in the 700 block of Northwest 50th Street after getting information about an incident there. A group gathered in the parking lot told the sheriff's office that a black Jeep Grand Cherokee drove by and shot a paintball gun into the crowd.
An 18-year-old man was hit in the face by one of the paintballs, seriously injuring his eye. The sheriff's office said an ambulance took him to a Kansas City hospital for treatment.
After investigating further, deputies found a 16-year-old suspect driving nearby in the 3800 block of Northwest Rochester Road. The sheriff's office took him into custody and took him for questioning with detectives at the Topeka Law Enforcement Center.
This is the second instance of Topeka drive-by paintball shootings that hurt someone within a year. A June 2021 paintball shooting spree had Topeka police look for a black SUV spotted near multiple paintball drive-bys, one of which saw someone hurt similarly to the 18-year-old in Saturday's incident.
“The victims from the various incidents reported injuries ranging from mild bruising to an injury to one victim’s eye that will require multiple surgeries,” Shawnee County District Attorney Mike Kagay said in 2021.
Topeka police said they ultimately tracked down and arrested Kendall M. Young, of Topeka, and Rehna St. Leanna Guerra, found in Lawrence, for the 2021 paintball shooting spree. Both of them faced multiple felony charges, including aggravated battery.
A check of Shawnee County District Court records Wednesday showed that Guerra pleaded guilty to three battery charges while six others were dismissed. Young's court case is still in progress, and while he has three battery charges pending, the court dismissed seven other felony charges.