In the late hours of a cold December evening in Wichita, Kansas, a meeting between two young men would end in tragedy, marking another homicide for the city in 2016. On December 23, 2016, Charles Hawkins, a 23-year-old Black / African American male, was fatally shot. The incident unfolded around 11 p.m. near the intersection of South Rock Road and Douglas Avenue, a location that would soon become a crime scene.
When police officers arrived, they discovered Hawkins with a gunshot wound to his upper body. He was rushed to a local hospital in critical condition but ultimately succumbed to his injuries.
The subsequent investigation by Wichita police revealed the shooting was the outcome of a drug transaction that had gone fatally wrong. Hawkins had arranged to meet with 19-year-old Andrew Scott Bull. Authorities stated that both men were armed during their encounter in the parking lot of a fast-food restaurant. It is believed that Hawkins attempted to rob Bull, which prompted Bull to draw his own weapon and fire in what was described as self-defense. The single gunshot proved to be fatal for Hawkins.
Following the shooting, Andrew Scott Bull was quickly identified as the suspect and was arrested. He was initially charged with first-degree murder in connection with Charles Hawkins' death. However, in January 2017, Bull pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter. As part of his plea, Bull admitted that the killing occurred during a "sudden quarrel." He also pleaded guilty to a charge of distributing marijuana. While a family member of Hawkins expressed doubts about the robbery claims, Bull's plea brought a swift, if not entirely satisfactory, conclusion to the legal proceedings in the 33rd homicide case for Wichita that year.
