In the winter of 2014, a life was tragically cut short in Wichita, Kansas. Super Street Khatiya, a 24-year-old male, was killed on December 13, 2014. The evening began as a festive occasion, a company Christmas party held at the Knights of Columbus hall located in the 3200 block of West 13th Street. As the party concluded and attendees began to depart, a dispute erupted in the parking lot that would end in fatal violence.
An argument broke out when a car arrived to pick up a woman from
the party. The verbal confrontation escalated, and gunfire suddenly rang out in the night. Super Khatiya, who was in the parking lot at the time, was struck by multiple bullets. When police arrived at the scene around 11 p.m., they discovered Khatiya unresponsive and slumped over in a car. He was rushed to a local hospital but succumbed to his injuries. Another man, who was 21 years old, was also wounded in the shooting but survived.
The investigation into the shooting led Wichita police to identify a suspect. Initially, two individuals were arrested in connection with the homicide, and the police sought the public's help in locating a third person, 20-year-old Ismael Pena. Pena was soon apprehended and charged with second-degree murder and aggravated battery.
During legal proceedings, it was revealed that Pena was a passenger in the back of the car that had arrived to pick up the woman. Witnesses testified that the fatal shots originated from that vehicle. Although Pena’s defense attorney argued that his client was intoxicated and did not intend to kill anyone, the prosecution maintained that the use of deadly force was not justified. Ultimately, Ismael Pena pleaded guilty to the charges against him. In January 2016, he was sentenced to 13 years and 9 months in prison for the murder of Super Khatiya and the injury of the other man.
