LAWRENCE, Kan. — Ahmad Rayton, 22, and Dominique McMillon, 19, are now sitting in the Douglas County Jail, accused of causing chaos along a popular Lawrence street early on the morning of Sunday, October 1, which ended with five people shot.
“I’m saddened that our society and our community here in the Kansas City area has turned to such violence and that we’re in such a place,” said Gretchen Brown.
Gretchen Brown is hoping the faces of the suspects fade from the headlines, but that the community will remember her daughter, 22-year-old Leah Brown, and the other two young lives lost on Massachusetts Street, Colwin Henderson and Tremel Dean.
“Leah was a truly fantastic life that was lost for no good reasons. Where are we in teaching our youth that there’s other options? Fifty years ago somebody would’ve had a black eye and maybe gotten a tooth knocked out. Now we’re shooting into a crowd of people and taking innocent lives,” Brown said.
Lawrence Police aren’t saying much about the fight that led to the deadly gunfire. Ahmad Rayton is charged with attempted murder for bullets that hit one of the surviving victims in the leg and for being a convicted felon with a gun. Dominique McMillon’s charges are for allegedly injuring another person who wasn’t shot during the fight.
Police say there were more than 100 people on Mass Street when everything happened. While they’ve already chased down almost 200 leads, they say there are still a bunch of witnesses they need to find.
“We are still investigating this case with the same intensity that’s brought us to this point today and we will continue to do so until all those responsible are brought to justice,” said Capt. Adam Heffley, with the Lawrence Police Dept. Investigations Division.
Witness statements and a slew of surveillance video are helping piece it all together to help determine who actually fired the fatal shots. Police are expecting more charges and arrests in the case before it’s all over.
Leah Brown’s mom says her daughter did not know anyone involved. Police won’t say how, or if, the others are connected. But one of the surviving victims, Tahzay Rayton, shares the same last name as suspect Ahmad Rayton.
Police are still encouraging anyone who was along Mass Street on Sunday morning, October 1, to call Lawrence Police, the Douglas Co. Sheriff’s Department or Crime Stoppers with information that might help.
Meanwhile, Leah Brown’s mother shared that her daughter was able to be an organ donor. Her eyes, connected tissue, bone, and heart valves could help up to 50 recipients. Leah also regularly attended summer camps through the YMCA in Colorado.The center she attended is now establishing the Leah Brown Memorial Scholarship to help children who cannot afford camp on their own.