Wichita Police Department

Wichita police say they've arrested a 17-year-old in the city's latest homicide.  Police say it happened in the 1200 block of N. Pennsylvania around 1:00 Sunday morning.  19-year-old Darius Gasper was taken to the hospital after he was shot in the head. Police were called to the hospital and found out where the shooting happened.  Police say the shooting stemmed from a fight between two rival gangs. Police say one gang was having a party at that location when a fight broke out amongst them.

The Wichita Police Department is changing the hours its substations will be open to the public. Starting Saturday, the four substation lobbies will be open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. each day. The department says the changes come because of a new budget process. The changes should  save the department around $58,000 a year. Police officials stress that the overnight closures will not impact public safety, or response to 911 calls. Each station has an intercom connected to city hall security and a phone connected directly to 911 that can be used when the lobby is closed.

Area law enforcement officers issued 349 citations during Thursday’s 24-hour traffic safety exercise along the 21st Street corridor from Andover through Wichita to western Sedgwick County.   Most of the tickets, 203 in all, were for speeding. There was one arrest for DUI. The An dover Police Department, the Wichita Police Department, the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office and the Kansas Highway Patrol.

A Wichita man is charged with possession with intent to distribute more than a pound of methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said today. Rafael Piceno, 50, Wichita, Kan., initially was charged in a criminal complaint filed March 2 in U.S. District Court in Wichita. The complaint alleges that a detective with the Wichita Police Department who was working undercover made a deal to buy a pound of crystal methamphetamine from Piceno for $16,000. When police served a search warrant at Picneo's apartment in the 1800 block of South Bonn, they found one bag containing approximately a pound of crystal methamphetamine and another bag containing approximately a quarter pound of crystal methamphetamine.

Two people are hurt in a motorcycle accident in south Wichita. It happened just after midnight Monday morning at 33rd Street and S. Elizabeth that's near 31st and S. Seneca. Officials say a Sedgwick County deputy noticed a motorcycle turn out in front of a vehicle. The deputy then tried to get the motorcycle's tag number when the rider sped off. The rider then hit a curb and flipped the motorcycle. He was taken to the hospital with critical injuries.

Wichita police are searching for a man they say robbed a bank on Wichita's west side. The Southwest National Bank on the 400 block of South Tracy was robbed Saturday morning, shortly before eleven o'clock. Police say the suspect left with an unknown amount of money. The suspect is described as a white male between the ages of 30 & 40, six-feet tall, and last seen wearing a brown shirt. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Wichita Police Department.

The Sedgwick County Sheriff's Office along with the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad, Wichita Police Department, and the Kansas Highway Patrol conducted operation "Cops On Rails/Officer On the Train" for three hours on June 15. Law enforcement officers wrote 23-citations, nine of them for violating railroad crossing statutes. The sheriff's office and the railroad remind motorists to stop, look, listen, and live.   Trains cannot stop or swerve and they always have the right-of-way.

So far in 2010, the Wichita police department has worked eight motorcycle fatalities. That is up compared to the last three years. In 2008 and 2009 they worked six. In 2007 they only worked one motorcycle fatality. The Kansas Highway Patrol has worked two in the city. That includes one over the weekend where a Valley Center woman died. Officers say seven of the eight worked so far this year were primarily the fault of the motorcycle driver. They also say a lot more bikes are out there and often the drivers are inexperienced.

The Wichita Police Department is asking for your help in identifying three shoplifters. The three were seen taking items from the West Kellogg Wal Mart store on April 8th. One of them pulled a gun on security personnel when they tried to stop them. Photos of the Shoplifters & Car All three, along with a child, left in a silver 4-door Pontiac. Anyone with information is asked to contact police at (316) 268-4517.

Wichita police say 177 speeding tickets were handed out during special traffic enforcement on Rock Road Wednesday. Officers from six different agencies helped patrol different areas of Rock Road for 24 hours. They were looking for things like speeders and drunk drivers. Here are the number of violations for the entire operation: Speeding: 177 Seat Belt Violations: 81 Turn Violations: 33 No Proof of Insurance: 33 DUI: 3 Registration/Tag Violations: 14 Drivers License Violations: 12 Stop Sign/Light Violations: 11 Other Violations: 23 Wichita Police say, along their part of Rock Road, the highest speeds were a driver going 63 in a 40 mile per hour zone on south Rock Road and a driver going 58 in a 40 on north Rock Road.

The Wichita Police Department is asking for your help in identifying three shoplifters. The three were seen taking items from the West Kellogg Wal Mart store on April 8th. One of them pulled a gun on security personnel when they tried to stop them. Photos of the Shoplifters & Car All three, along with a child, left in a silver 4-door Pontiac. Anyone with information is asked to contact police at (316) 268-4517.

Wichita police say a former Final Four Wichita State men's basketball player is under investigation for rape.  The player is no longer on the team because he's out of eligibility. Police aren't releasing the name, but say the investigation involves allegations from a 20-year-old female, who is not a student.  Police say the investigation stems from an incident at a teammate's home over the weekend. "It appears that there was some sort of get together over at this residence and during that time frame, late Saturday/early Sunday, is when it was reported that it happened," said Lt. Doug Nolte with the Wichita Police.

Wichita city officials urge residents to not travel unless it's absolutely necessary during the upcoming winter storm expected to hit the area Sunday night through Monday. Click here for School and Community Closings Public Works and Public safety officials said the storm conditions will make traveling very dangerous. Due to the snow Wichita got last week, there is limited availability to store plowed snow on the curbs, so snow may need to be plowed in to the middle lanes of four-lane roads.

The Connecticut school shooting has many Wichita parents asking about their child's safety at school. Every school has individual crisis plans specific to it's building and number of students. Each school practices drills on how to evacuate and what to do in a lockdown situation. Plus, the district has teamed up with Wichita Police to prepare for events like a shooting. "We do training and coordination with the Wichita Police Department in their active shooter protocol and their response, it is based on the FBI/ Secret Service response to the Columbine situation," said Wichita Schools Security Services Executive Director Debbie McKenna.

"And sometimes we see a spike in our shoplifts and stuff like that. And we're geared up for it," said Sgt. Steve Yarberry with the Wichita Police Department. While many of us were busy counting everything we should be thankful for and then counting our purchases, police officers were working over-time.  The holiday weekend is often a busy one for Wichita officers. They say it started getting busy for them Thursday evening and stayed that way throughout much of the weekend.  We noticed the trend right here in the newsroom as the emergency scanners seemed to be going off almost non-stop.

A Wichita toddler is expected to be okay after falling out of an apartment window. The accident happened Wednesday afternoon near Lincoln and Oliver at the Parklane Apartments, 4964 E. Lincoln. Wichita police say the two-year-old fell from a third story unit. The child was taken to the hospital for observation, but is is expected to be okay. "The kid's very blessed. The way he fell. It was not on concrete. It was on a softer area, and right now, he did sustain some injuries, but at this point it does not appear to be life-threatening," said Lt. Walker Andrew with the Wichita Police Department.

A Wichita police officer is on administrative leave after firing on a suspect in the 2800 block of W. Pawnee overnight. Police say the officer was working on paperwork in a parking lot when he saw someone looking around the corner of a nearby building, then go away.  Moments later, he noticed the man reappear from around the building with what appeared to be a rifle. "The subject started raising the rifle toward the officer," said Sgt. Brian Sigman of the Wichita Police Department, "The officer got out of the vehicle and proceeded to start firing toward the direction of the individual because he thought we was ready to get shot at. " Police say the officer was acting in self defense.

For almost a year, DeJuan Colbert's family members have been waiting to see the video from the day he was shot and killed.  They had their chance today-- with the rest of us. Geraldine Simpson knew her grandson well.  She helped raise him.  That's why talking about the day the 27-year-old died is difficult.  She says, the man she sees on the surveillance video from October of last year, is not the grandson she knew as D.J. "We all know...

A lawn company worker is in critical condition after falling from a pickup truck Tuesday morning.  It happened in the 9400 block of E. Bedell.  Police tell us the worker was riding in the back of a truck, but he fell out as the truck turned a corner.  The man fell and struck his head on the ground. He was rushed to the hospital in critical condition. Police impounded the vehicle in case the victim's condition worsens.  No word yet on possible charges, but police tell us they always conduct their investigation under the assumption that charges will be filed.  Lt. Joe Schroeder with the Wichita Police Department tells us it's easier to pull back an investigation than to try to ramp it up later.

A Wichita teen is rushed to the hospital in critical condition after he accidentally shoots himself. It happened shortly after 2:00pm on Saturday, at the intersection of Murdock & Hydraulic. Officers at the scene say the bullet traveled through the 16 year old's knee and into his foot. Investigators found the gun, and bullet casings at the scene. "It appears that he was probably carrying it in his waistband," says Sgt. Jeff Davis of the Wichita Police Department.  "We are fairly early in the investigation, but it probably just went off. " The boy was transported to Via Christi - St. Francis for treatment.