WICHITA, Kan. (KAKE) - Wichita police say they are searching for a 23-year-old man suspected of killing one person and injuring five others in a mass shooting at a club in the city's Old Town district. 

Capt. Jason Stephens identified the suspected gunman as Keshawn Dawson. He's also wanted on two felony Sedgwick County warrants and is prohibited from possessing a firearm. 

Keshawn Dawson (Prior Sedgwick Count booking photo)
Keshawn Dawson (Prior Sedgwick Count booking photo)  


Officers were called around 12:40 a.m. Tuesday to a shooting at the Enigma Club & Lounge in the 300 block of North Mosley. Police said the had been kicked out of the club after a fight, returned with a gun and opened fire from the sidewalk through the club’s front door and windows. He then fled in a dark-colored vehicle being driven by someone else. 

One of the victims, 34-year-old Preston Spencer, suffered a fatal gunshot wound to his torso. According to a GoFundMe page, Spencer leaves behind a wife and two children. His last Facebook post on Saturday was in celebration of his son's fifth birthday. 

Spencer's wife, Kendra, released the following statement:

“My husband could light up a room just by walking in and saying hello. He took care of his family before himself every single day, making sure that we always felt his deep love for us. Preston was one of the greatest gifts I was blessed to have, and he gave me two beautiful children to share this life with. There is nothing that can bring him back, but he will live on in the legacy that he leaves behind. Our family and friends, and the Wichita community will always remember all the laughs and joy Preston brought into our lives on this side of Heaven. We all gained an angel to watch over us.”

Preston Spencer and his wife, Kendra. (GoFundMe)
Preston Spencer and his wife, Kendra. (GoFundMe)  


"My heart is overwhelmed with grief. My oldest child, Preston Atlas Spencer, was shot and killed by a random act of gun violence," Spencer's mother shared on social media. "We need your prayers!!"

Spencer was a bartender at Twelve Restaurant & Bar at 119th Street West and Maple. The business said on Facebook that it would be closed Tuesday due to Spencer's passing. 

"We lost a friend, a colleague, the most amazing bartender in Wichita, Preston Spencer," the post says. "Pray for his family. Bear with us as we all grieve losing such a pillar of kindness in our lives."

Police initially told media at the scene that seven others were injured in the shooting, but Officer Charley Davidson later said in a news release that five women were hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries. 

Capt. Stephens said most injuries to those five victims, between the ages of 22 and 40, were to the legs. One had an injury to her arm and lower back. Some of them have been treated and released. 


One of the DJs at the club for a Labor Day event said on Twitter that his heart goes out to all affected. 

"I’m sorry to everyone tonight. Praying for understanding and sending love," @FLEMMDOGGYDOGG's tweet says.


Investigators used surveillance video from the club and other nearby businesses, as well as witness statements, to identify Dawson as the shooting suspect, Stephens said.

“We’re still looking into the victims’ relationship — if there was any relationship — with the suspect,” Stephens said.

Kansas Department of Corrections records show Dawson has prior convictions of criminal possession of a weapon by a felon.

Anyone with information can call WPD Detectives at (316) 268-4407, the See Something Say Something hotline at (316) 519-2282, or Crime Stoppers at (316) 267-2111.

The Gun Violence Archive, which monitors media and police reports to track gun violence, defines mass shootings as those involving four or more people who were shot, regardless of whether they died.

 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.