In the early morning hours of October 18, 2019, a dispute in Wichita, Kansas, escalated to a fatal conclusion for Charles Keith Cunningham, a 40-year-old Caucasian male. Cunningham, accompanied by his 42-year-old brother, had gone to a residence in the 4400 block of east Bayley to address an ongoing issue. It was there that a physical altercation broke out between Cunningham and 26-year-old Dalton Patterson.
During the fight, Patterson produced a firearm and fired a shot that struck Cunningham. Rather than waiting for emergency services, Cunningham was transported to a local hospital in a private vehicle, suffering from a gunshot wound to his body. Despite medical attention, he was pronounced deceased. Investigators who arrived at the scene of the shooting discovered shell casings and two handguns.
Dalton Patterson was arrested in connection with the incident. Initially, he was charged with possession of methamphetamine with the intent to sell. Later, a superseding indictment brought federal charges against him, including one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, one count of unlawful possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, and two counts of unlawful possession of a firearm by a user of controlled substances. Authorities stated that the shooting was not a random act, as the individuals involved were known to each other. The investigation into the shooting was to be presented to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's Office.
