In the pre-dawn hours of January 16, 2024, the quiet of a south Wichita neighborhood was broken by the sound of gunfire. At approximately 5:12 a.m., officers from the Wichita Police Department were dispatched to the 1000 block of South Market after a 911 call reported the shots. Their initial search of the area yielded no victim or evidence of a crime. However, a short time later, at 5:22 a.m., another call led them to the 900 block of the same street.
There, they discovered 35-year-old Ladonte Ostrander, a Black male, lying on the sidewalk with a gunshot wound to his leg. Emergency services were called to the scene, and Ostrander was rushed to a local hospital in critical condition. Despite the efforts of medical personnel, he was pronounced dead at 6:00 a.m.
The investigation into Ostrander's death moved swiftly. Within two days, on January 18, police arrested the first suspect in connection with the fatal shooting. This was followed by the apprehension of a second suspect, 27-year-old Robert Howland, in the 1300 block of South Santa Fe in the early morning hours of January 20. The first suspect was identified as Yancy Hermosillo. Video evidence from around the time of the shooting reportedly showed two individuals following Ostrander before multiple shots were fired.
Legal proceedings began shortly after the arrests. Yancy Hermosillo, who had a history of previous felony convictions, was initially charged with second-degree murder. On January 22, his bond was set at $1 million. The case against the second man, Robert Howland, was still under review by the District Attorney's Office and charges had not been formally filed against him. In a later development, Yancy Hermosillo pleaded no contest to a lesser charge of aggravated battery. In May 2025, he was sentenced to seven years in prison for his role in the shooting death of Ladonte Ostrander.
