MCPHERSON COUNTY, Kan. — Authorities have made an arrest in connection to a homicide that occurred earlier this year in McPherson County.
The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) and the McPherson County Sheriff’s Office announced that 18-year-old Daniel T. Hawkinson, of McPherson, was taken into custody on March 23 at approximately 5:15 p.m. Hawkinson was arrested at the McPherson County Sheriff’s Office on a warrant for voluntary manslaughter and subsequently booked into the McPherson County Jail.
The arrest stems from the Jan. 31 death of 19-year-old Joshua Soden.
According to investigators, the incident began in the early morning hours when deputies requested KBI assistance around 2 a.m. after a reported homicide southwest of Inman. Agents, along with the KBI Crime Scene Response Team, responded to the scene.
Authorities determined the events leading up to the shooting began at a house party where attendees had been consuming alcohol. A disagreement reportedly broke out, prompting two groups to leave the party in separate pickup trucks. The groups later encountered each other again on a rural road near 4th Avenue and Arapaho Road, about two miles from the party.
Investigators say a physical altercation occurred between two adult males during the encounter. During the fight, Soden was shot and killed. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Officials said the individual who fired the shot initially called 911 to report the incident and then went to the Inman Police Department, where he was questioned but not immediately arrested at that time.
Authorities have interviewed several witnesses as part of the ongoing investigation. Officials also emphasized that there is no ongoing threat to the public related to the case.
The McPherson County Attorney’s Office is expected to prosecute. No additional information has been released.
All suspects are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
You must be logged in to post a comment.