Police Investigate Wichita Shooting

A Wichita, Kan., club owner is questioning why police are associating his venue with a shooting in the Old Town entertainment district.

Police fatally shot 23-year-old Marquez Smart, who apparently fired at least two shots while walking with a crowd, then ran, around 2 a.m. March 10.

The shooting took place about 15 minutes after a Pleasure P concert at the 1,428-capacity Doc Howard’s Lounge, and police said concertgoers were moving through the streets, according to the Wichita Eagle.

Wichita Police Chief Norman Williams said Smart approached officers in the area, fired more shots and ignored several orders to drop his gun. Police chased him into an alley and fired at him again, fatally wounding him.

Four other people were wounded.

A man who lives in Old Town and said he heard “seven to eight” gunshots estimated more than 1,000 people were milling about the entertainment district.

However, the owner of Doc Howard’s questioned why police’s associate the shooting with the venue, considering that the scuffle began 15 minutes after the R&B event ended, and the shooting began a block south and a block west of the club, according to the paper.