Newly released court documents have shed light on a tragic shooting earlier this month that involved underage attendees at a well-known University of Kansas bar.
The incident at the Jayhawk Cafe, commonly referred to as The Hawk, resulted in the death of 18-year-old Aiden Sullivan Knowles and left 16-year-old Brady Clark critically wounded, as reported by the Kansas City Star.
Charges have been filed against two 18-year-olds, Caiden Clem and Daitron Daniels-Strickland, in connection with the January 17 shooting.
Knowles’ father shared with the University Daily Kansan that his son was “in the wrong place at the wrong time,” noting that Aiden was not affiliated with the university. It remains unclear whether Clem or Daniels-Strickland had any ties to the institution.
According to an affidavit unsealed last Friday, both the victims and suspects belonged to two separate groups that initially interacted without conflict at the bar that evening, as per the Star’s reporting. Two witnesses who were with Clark and Knowles recounted leaving the bar for a short while to visit another nearby establishment. Upon returning, they were refused re-entry to The Hawk.
As the group was preparing to leave in their car, they observed Clark, Knowles, and another member from their group engaged in a confrontation with the bar staff and intervened to assist. Meanwhile, another group, which included Daniels-Strickland, was also in a dispute with the staff over a missing cell phone. Once the phone was returned, they began to disperse.
Shortly after that, Clem, who was outside the bar, pulled out a semi-automatic handgun and fired several shots into the air. Immediately after those shots were fired, Daniels-Strickland pulled out a semi-automatic handgun and fired several rounds at the entrance, striking Clark and Knowles, court documents say.
Police were called to the scene at about 2 a.m. They found Knowles dead on the scene and Clark critically injured.
A search of the nearby area located Clem — who had already been described as wearing all orange — Daniels-Strickland, and two others in an alley a few blocks away. They were taken in for questioning, while back at the scene the witnesses who had been with the victims spoke with police.
Clem told police that he was just in the area and saw people running bt didn’t hear any gunshots, did not have a weapon, and certainly didn’t fire any guns. He also said he was not involved in the disturbance just prior to the shooting.
Daniels-Strickland told police that at closing time, he saw the altercation between a group of men and “the door guys” and then heard gunshots, which frightened him, so he pulled out his gun and fired toward a wall next to the front door. He said he did not fire at anyone and denied seeing anyone in front of the bar when he opened fire.
The court documents further described surveillance video from the bar, which showed Clem, Daniels-Strickland, and two others sneaking into the bar through a side entrance at about 11 p.m. At about 1:45 a.m., bar staff told them to leave. The video shows Clem and his two friends get into a fight with the staff, including Clem pulling out his gun and holding it to his side. Eventually, staff forced the group outside.
At one point, he pointed his gun at a bouncer’s head but eventually went outside, pulled up his hood, and fired several shots into the air. Then Daniels-Strickland pulled out his gun and shot at the Knowles-Clark group before fleeing the scene.
Police eventually found two handguns believed used in the shooting several blocks away, one beneath a car in a parking garage and another on top of a heating and air conditioning unit by a university residence hall.
Clem has been charged with one count of first degree murder and two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Daniels-Strickland is charged with second degree murder and two counts of attempted second degree murder, KSHB reported.
Daniels-Strickland’s attorney has asked for an immunity hearing in the case, although prosecutors have expressed skepticism about his claims to have been firing in self defense. He told detectives during his initial interview, they said, that it was “a good thing he caught a body.”
Both defendants are due in court for a preliminary hearing on February 10.
