On a Thursday afternoon in January, the life of 42-year-old Oscar Acosta, a male restaurant owner in south Wichita, was tragically cut short. The incident occurred on January 14, 2021, at his establishment, Birrieria Tito. A man had been rummaging through a trash can inside the restaurant and was asked to take his search outside. An argument then began between the man and an employee after the trash can was dumped over outside the building.
Acosta, the owner, went outside to intervene in
the escalating situation. It was then that the man, a 26-year-old parolee named Adrian Nicholas Zongker, pulled out a handgun and fired a single shot, striking Acosta in the chest. Despite his fatal injury, Acosta managed to stumble back into his restaurant, where he warned his family and customers to find safety before he succumbed to his wound. The shooter fled the scene on foot.
Witnesses at the scene were able to direct responding police officers to the suspect's location. A couple of blocks away from the restaurant, authorities apprehended Adrian Zongker, who was found in possession of a firearm. Zongker, who had a history of prior convictions including criminal possession of a firearm and aggravated assault, was a transient who had been paroled just a few months prior to the shooting. He was arrested and booked into the Sedgwick County Jail on suspicion of first-degree murder and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
In the subsequent legal proceedings, Zongker's defense claimed the shooting was a sudden impulse and pointed to a history of mental impairment. However, a jury found him guilty of first-degree premeditated murder. In June 2022, a judge sentenced Zongker to life in prison for the murder, with the possibility of parole only after serving 50 years. An additional 15 months were added to his sentence for the weapons charge, with the terms to be served consecutively, ensuring he will be imprisoned for at least 51 years.
