On the night of January 26, 2024, in Wichita, Kansas, 19-year-old Jhiquez Quez Roberts, a Black male, was fatally shot in what would become a complex and tragic case involving multiple teenage suspects. Roberts, along with 14-year-old Emoni Shears, was in a vehicle in the 5200 block of East Kensington, reportedly meeting with one of the individuals who would later be accused in their deaths.
During this encounter, both Roberts and Shears were shot.
Despite their critical injuries, the two teenagers managed to drive themselves to a local hospital. Their efforts to seek help were ultimately in vain, as both succumbed to their wounds and were pronounced dead. The initial investigation into the double homicide began late that Friday night, with Wichita police called to the scene of the shooting as well as the hospital where the victims arrived.
The investigation quickly led to a series of arrests. Within days, police had apprehended five teenagers in connection with the killings. The first to be taken into custody was a 14-year-old boy, arrested on suspicion of two counts of first-degree murder. He was soon followed by 18-year-old Hayden Williams. The investigative efforts culminated in the arrest of three more male teens, aged 15, 16, and 17, who faced charges of felony murder. Police indicated that the victims and at least one of the suspects were known to each other and had arranged to meet that night. While most of the suspects were from Wichita, the 15-year-old was from Garden City. The motive and the precise relationship between all involved parties remained a key focus for detectives as they continued to piece together the events that led to the violent deaths of the two young men.
