UPDATE 4:25 p.m. Friday: The Salina Police this afternoon released new information in the landscaper BB shooting case.
By LESLIE EIKLEBERRY
Salina Post
A social media challenge apparently is connected to the shooting of a landscaper in downtown Salina late Tuesday morning.
The Salina Police Department this afternoon announced that two people had been apprehended in connection to the case.
Earlier today, by using a partial license plate number, detectives were able to locate in the 700 block of S. Ninth Street the white Dodge Ram connected to the shooting, according to a news release from the department. Two teen males believed to be associated with the shooting were located in the pickup. The two were identified as a 17-year-old Salina boy and Lucas E. Burleson, 18, of Salina. Both were taken to the Salina Police Department for questioning.
"Detectives learned the suspect’s actions might be associated with a Tick Tock 'Orbeez Challenge' on social media involving gel or water beads fired from airsoft-type guns. This challenge encourages participants to use airsoft-type guns which shoot gel or water beads at pedestrians. This Tick Tock social media challenge is apparently a nation-wide phenomenon and has resulted in injuries," the Salina Police Department noted in the news release.
Following are the requested charges for the two, according to information from the police.
The 17-year-old boy: Aggravated assault and battery. Both are Saline County District Court juvenile charges.
Burleson: Unlawful discharge of an air gun within the city limits. This is a Salina Municipal Court charge.
Additionally, there is a third person believed to be involved in the incident.
"Once they are identified, that person will beinterviewed and may be subject to charges," the department noted in the news release.
If you have any information concerning this event or identification of the individual(s) involved, call Crimestoppers at 825-TIPS, text SATIPS to CRIMES (274637), or visit https://www.p3tips.com/tipform.aspx?ID=950 to submit a web tip. You may receive a cash reward and you are not required to give your name. Tipsters may also contact the Salina Police Department at (785) 826-7210. Case 2022-3667.
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Crimestoppers
On Tuesday, officers with the Salina Police Department received a report from a citizen who had been shot by a BB gun.
The woman reported that she was working along the side of the road in the 200 block of S. Santa Fe Avenue when a newer white four-door Dodge Ram pickup drove by slowly. The woman observed the rear driver’s side passenger holding a black BB gun. The passenger then fired the BB gun, striking the victim in the chest with a BB.
Video surveillance from the downtown area shows the suspect vehicle leaving the scene.
If you have any information concerning this incident or identification of the individual involved, call Crimestoppers at 825-TIPS. You can also make an online tip at: https://www.p3tips.com/tipform.aspx?ID=950#. You may receive a cash reward of up to $1,000. Tipsters may also contact the Salina Police Department at (785) 826-7210, or Officer Cranmer, case 2022-7160.
READ: Landscaper hit with BB in downtown Salina drive-by shooting