A man was found on the ground with an upper-body gunshot wound in the 1700 block of North Poplar in north-central Wichita Monday evening, and police say he is expected to survive. Emergency crews rushed him to an area hospital in critical condition after officers responded to a reported shooting near the intersection of 17th and Poplar.
Wichita Police Department officers were called to the area for a reported shooting, according to KAKE, which reported that officers found the man on the ground with the gunshot wound. Reports on the exact timing of the call differ: KSN said officers were dispatched shortly before 6:30 p.m., while the Wichita Eagle put the call at about 6:20 p.m. and KWCH reported it as 6:25 p.m. Monday.
Police told KAKE that the man ran to 17th and Poplar and collapsed there, while the station’s preliminary information indicated he may have initially been shot while sitting in his vehicle in the 1700 block of Green. KWCH reported that officers responded near the intersection of 17th and Poplar, where they found the man with the gunshot wound.
Investigators Still Piecing Together Where the Shooting Happened
Wichita Police Lt. Doug Gerdes told KSN that investigators are still trying to determine exactly where the shooting took place. “We don’t know if he was involved with a argument prior to that or exactly what happened,” Gerdes said, according to the same report.
Despite the uncertainty over the sequence of events, Gerdes offered some reassurance about the victim’s condition. “The adult male at this point is going to live,” he told KSN. A Sedgwick County emergency communications supervisor separately confirmed to the Wichita Eagle that a person at the intersection at the time of the shooting was in critical condition.
No Suspect Information Released
KWCH reported that no information was given on a suspect as of Monday night, and KAKE noted the investigation remains ongoing, with investigators cautioning that details may change as they learn more. Police have not said whether the man had been in an argument before the shooting, and no further update on his condition has been reported.
