What happened that night
Shortly after 7:10 p.m. on Dec. 30, 2022, officers received reports of shots fired outside The Bullpen, followed by more gunfire near the Baldwin City Public Library. Officers identified a suspect vehicle and arrested Junah Augustus Sisney, 23. A window at the bar was hit, but no patrons or library visitors were injured. Initial booking records listed attempted capital murder and related weapons charges, according to WIBW.
How downtown residents described it
Witnesses at earlier hearings described how people leaving a birthday party at the library heard what they first thought were fireworks, then saw a car slow before shots rang out. They later discovered bullet holes in vehicle windows. A man carrying his one-year-old granddaughter told the court the group feared the child had been hit, though no one was injured, according to Lawrence Journal-World. The shootings have left many downtown residents shaken and kept local law enforcement and prosecutors focused on bringing the long-running case to a close.
Mental-health issues and pretrial delays
The case moved slowly through pretrial stages, slowed by questions about Sisneys competency and a change of defense attorneys that pushed hearings back. Sisney had twice been sent to Larned State Hospital, and prosecutors had previously declined an earlier plea offer. Video from a police interview played at a preliminary hearing captured Sisney saying he "wanted to kill some people," according to Lawrence Journal-World.
Guilty plea and the facts in court filings
Junah Augustus Sisney, 23, pleaded guilty Wednesday to attempted first-degree murder, attempted second-degree murder and aggravated assault in connection with a Dec. 30, 2022 string of shootings that rattled downtown Baldwin City. The plea, entered in Douglas County District Court, stems from gunfire prosecutors say was aimed near a popular bar and at the public library; court filings say he admitted firing a handgun at The Bullpen and again near the Baldwin City Public Library. Sisney remains held in the Douglas County Jail while the court considers a plea-recommended prison term.
Prosecutors recommendation and the district attorneys statement
Under the agreement, prosecutors are recommending that Sisney serve 235 months, nearly 20 years, in the Kansas Department of Corrections. Douglas County District Attorney Dakota Loomis said the result “holds Sisney accountable for jeopardizing the lives of innocent citizens and randomly inflicting trauma on people who were merely going about their daily lives,” according to KSHB.
Sentencing date and possible outcome
Sisney is scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 8, when a judge will decide whether to accept the plea recommendation. If the court follows the agreement, Sisney would face a roughly 20-year term under the recommended 235-month sentence, according to KSHB.
According to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, there were 157 murders reported in 2023, which was 3.3% above the 10-year average, but 6.5% less than 2022. According to the Kansas Legislature, the state's sentencing guidelines use a two-dimensional grid that classifies crimes by severity and a defendant's criminal history to produce recommended sentence ranges.
