Wichita police: Victim shoots self before roommate picks up gun and shoots twice more
A 28-year-old Wichita man was arrested early Tuesday in the fatal shooting of his roommate in a west Wichita home.
Charles Burnham was arrested on suspicion of first-degree murder in connection to the shooting, Capt. Jason Stephens said. The 27-year-old victim, who had been suicidal, shot himself in the head before Burnham picked up the handgun and shot the victim twice more, he said.
“One of the elements of first-degree murder is premeditation,” Stephens said. “There was ... conversation that took place between victim and suspect that led up to the suspect’s involvement in the shooting incident.”
Police have not yet released the name of the man who died.
Police were called about a shooting at 12:50 a.m. Tuesday in the 2800 block of West Maple and found the victim shot multiple times. He died at the scene.
The victim, Burnham and Burnham’s brother lived at the home, he said. The suspect and his brother were at the home when police arrived. The suspect’s brother was sleeping in another room when the shooting occurred, he said.
This is the 49th homicide of 2021. Wichita had 50 homicides at this time last year, which ended up being a record year for homicides.
