In the afternoon hours of June 23, 2023, a violent encounter in Wichita, Kansas, claimed the life of Christopher Chris Baker, a 49-year-old Caucasian male. Emergency services received a cascade of 911 calls shortly after 2:15 p.m. reporting a shooting and a vehicle collision near the intersection of Lincoln and San Pablo Lane. First responders arrived to a chaotic scene where a red GMC Yukon had struck a parked car before crashing into the bedroom of an apartment building.
Inside the
vehicle, they discovered Chris Baker suffering from a fatal gunshot wound. Despite immediate life-saving efforts, he succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene. Witnesses at the scene told investigators that an individual involved in the incident had fled into a nearby building, prompting a response from the Wichita Police SWAT team. The investigation quickly pointed to a suspect.
The day after the shooting, on June 24, 2023, Wichita police arrested 24-year-old Damion Christopher Hazelton Jr. in connection with Baker's death. Hazelton, who lived near the crime scene, was subsequently charged with second-degree intentional murder and criminal possession of a weapon. While a specific motive for the shooting was not publicly released by authorities, the investigation led to Hazelton's conviction. A judge later sentenced him to serve 15 years in prison for the killing of Chris Baker.
