A 1-year-old boy was critically wounded as numerous gunshots were fired early Tuesday into a house at 804 S.E. Sherman Ave. in East Topeka, police said. No arrests had been made.
The boy s name being made public. He was a patient late Tuesday afternoon at a Topeka hospital, where his condition was considered critical but stable, said Gretchen Spiker, public relations specialist for the Topeka Police Department.
Numerous cones could be seen standing in the house s yard and on S.E. Sherman Avenue after police put them there to mark places where shell casings were found. We cannot allow this to happen in our community, the Topeka Police Department said on its Facebook page.
Shawnee County District Attorney Mike Kagay announced Tuesday he had charged Topekan Paul Gavino Mendez with crimes that included rape linked to a sexual assault allegedly committed in 2019.
Mendez, 44, was also charged with one count each of kidnapping, aggravated criminal sodomy and aggravated burglary, Kagay said in a news release.
The victim, a 55-year-old woman who is acquainted with Mendez, reported the crimes were committed Aug. 18, 2019, in the 3700 block of S.W. Plaza Drive, said Gretchen Spiker, public relations specialist for the Topeka Police Department.
Mendez was being questioned by Topeka police in reference to a separate ongoing investigation when he was arrested Jan. 28 in the 1500 block of S.E. 21st in connection with the 2019 sexual assault, Spiker said.
In exchange for their taking an online course focusing on responsibility and appropriate thinking, the city of Topeka dropped criminal charges against three people charged with disobeying a lawful police order last June at a Black Lives Matter rally that turned violent in downtown Topeka.
Charges were dismissed last October against Andrew J. Dome, 28, Brian C. Rutschmann, 31, and Haley P. Elliott, 20, according to Topeka Municipal Court records.
The course cost $40 and took a couple of hours to complete, Dome told The Capital-Journal on Sunday, adding that he found it to be a fair option.
Court proceedings remain in progress against seven people facing criminal charges linked to the June 1 disturbance.
Topeka police said they arrested a man Thursday in connection with the abduction and rape of a woman reported to have been committed in August 2019 in south Topeka.
Paul Gavino Mendez, 44, was booked at 4:45 p.m. Thursday into the Shawnee County Jail, where he was being held on a $1 million bond Friday afternoon in connection with one count each of kidnapping, rape, aggravated burglary and aggravated criminal sodomy, according to jail records.
The victim, a 55-year-old woman who is acquainted with Mendez, reported the crimes were committed Aug. 18, 2019, in the 3700 block of S.W. Plaza Drive, said Gretchen Spiker, public relations specialist for the Topeka Police Department.
A 17-year-old youth s condition remained critical Tuesday after he was found late Monday suffering from apparent gunshot wounds in the 900 block of S.E. 8th, Topeka police said.
The people involved have been uncooperative with police and no arrests have been made, said Gretchen Spiker, public relations specialist for the Topeka Police Department.
The youth s name wasn t being released. He remained a patient Tuesday at a Topeka hospital, Spiker said.
Officers were called about 8:45 p.m. Monday to the shooting scene, she said.
Police asked anyone with information about the shooting to call them at 785-368-9551 or email them at telltpd@topeka.org. Anonymous tips may be made by calling Crime Stoppers at 785-234-0007.