SEDGWICK COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a shooting and have a suspect in custody.

Just after 6a.m. Wednesday, police responded to a shooting at a home in the 1500 Block of East Arnold in Wichita, according to office Paul Cruz.

A 15-year-old boy and his sister at the scene told police they were asleep in the residence. They heard banging on the front door. The boy went to open the door when an unknown suspect fired multiple shots into the door. The boy was wounded in the leg and transported to a hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.

At the time police were told the suspect possibly left the scene in a gray Chrysler 300 or Dodge Charger 4-door.  Through an investigation and cooperation with the victim, police developed a suspect profile.

On Wednesday evening police arrested a 25-year-old suspect in the case. He was booked into jail on requested charges of aggravated battery, according to Cruz.  Investigators were able to connect the suspect with an a February 2017 aggravated battery case. Police will present both cases to the district attorney, according to Cruz.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — One of the oldest female chimps in U.S. zoos has died at the Kansas City Zoo.

Zoo officials announced Friday that Patty, who was 55, was euthanized Thursday after her health quickly deteriorated during the last 10 days. The zoo said the average life expectancy of a female chimpanzee is 37.

Patty, who was born in Africa, lived at the Kansas City Zoo since 1966. She was one of the 10 oldest female chimps at an AZA-accredited zoo.

Zoo spokeswoman Kim Romary says tests will be performed to determine if Patty had health issues.

Patty had no offspring of her own, but zoo officials said she was a surrogate mom to one chimp and was a grandmother figure for the entire troop.

RENO COUNTY— One of three people arrested on drug distribution charges was back before a judge in Reno County Friday.

Mark Ray, 30,  Great Bend was charged with possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, possession of drug paraphernalia with intent to package, theft of property and conspiracy to commit theft.

He was arrested with two others when an employee of Dunham’s Sports in Hutchinson reported a theft. The employee’s description led officers to the Great Bend trio.

Another suspect in the case, 27-year-old Michael S. Moore, failed to appear in court Friday. There is now a bench warrant for his arrest.

Courtney Clark, 23, faces charges of theft, possession of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia. She made an initial court appearance in the case, but is expected back in court next week.

Ray has previous convictions for aggravated battery, burglary, obstruction and trafficking contraband into a correctional institution. Moore has previous convictions for contributing to a child’s misconduct, Flee, attempted to elude criminal possession of a firearm by a felon.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on U.S.-led missile strikes on Syria (all times local):

 

9:20 a.m.
The Pentagon says the U.S.-led airstrikes on Syria “successfully hit every target.”

Chief Pentagon spokeswoman Dana White said Saturday that the strikes were launched to “cripple Syria’s ability to use chemical weapons in the future.”

The U.S., France and Britain launched military strikes in Syria on Friday night to punish President Bashar Assad (bah-SHAR’ AH’-sahd) for an apparent chemical attack against civilians last week and to deter him from doing it again.

White says the strikes do not “represent a change in U.S. policy or an attempt to depose the Syrian regime.” But she says, “We cannot allow such grievous violations of international law.”

She also called on Russia to “honor its commitment” to ensure the Assad regime gives up chemical weapons.
___
9 a.m.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry says the U.S. and its allies launched strikes on Syria to derail an investigation into a purported chemical attack.

The U.S., Britain and France said they launched Saturday’s strike to punish Syrian President Bashar Assad for an alleged chemical attack against civilians in the town of Douma outside Damascus.

The Foreign Ministry said that facts presented by Russian investigators indicated the purported attack was a “premeditated and cynical sham.”

The ministry noted that the strikes were launched on Saturday as a team of experts from the Organization for the Prohibition of

Chemical Weapons was to visit Douma. It added that “we have every reason to believe that the attack on Syria was intended to hamper the work of the OPCW inspectors.”

———————

WASHINGTON (AP) — Allied missiles struck at the heart of Syrian chemical weapons arsenal in a show of force and resolve aimed at punishing the Assad government for a suspected poison gas attack against civilians and deterring the possible future use of such banned weapons.

A perfectly executed strike last night. Thank you to France and the United Kingdom for their wisdom and the power of their fine Military. Could not have had a better result. Mission Accomplished!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 14, 2018

“A perfectly executed strike,” President Donald Trump tweeted Saturday in the aftermath of his second decision in two years to fire missiles against Syria. “Could not have had a better result. Mission Accomplished!”

His choice of words recalled a similar claim associated with President George W. Bush following the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. Bush addressed sailors aboard a ship in May 2003 alongside a “Mission Accomplished” banner, just weeks before it became apparent that Iraqis had organized an insurgency that tied down U.S. forces for years.

Syria’s chief allies, Russia and Iran, called the use of force by the United States, Britain and France a “military crime” and “act of aggression” with the potential to worsen a humanitarian crisis after years of civil war. The U.N. Security Council planned to meet later Saturday at Moscow’s request.

“Good souls will not be humiliated,” Syrian President Bashar Assad tweeted, while hundreds of Syrians gathered in Damascus, the capital, where they flashed victory signs and waved flags in scenes of defiance after the one-hour barrage launched Friday evening (early Saturday in Syria).

Before a planned Pentagon briefing Saturday, officials said Air Force B-1B strategic bombers launched JASSM “standoff” missiles for the first time in combat, evading Syrian air defenses. In all, the Navy launched a little more than 100 Tomahawk cruise missiles from destroyers in the Mediterranean Sea. The officials, who provided details on condition of anonymity ahead of public announcements, said Syria’s air defenses were ineffective.

https://t.co/6VLQYAlcto

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 14, 2018

A global chemical warfare watchdog group said its fact-finding mission would go as planned in Douma, where the apparent use of poison gas against civilians on April 7 that killed more than 40 people compelled the Western allies to launch their attack. Syria has denied the accusation.

But France’s foreign minister said there was “no doubt” the Assad government was responsible, and he threatened further retaliatory strikes if chemical weapons were used again, as did Pentagon chief Jim Mattis, who said the assault was a “one-time shot,” as long as chemical weapons weren’t used again.

NATO representatives planned a special session to hear from U.S., British and French officials.

Pentagon officials said the attacks, carried out by manned aircraft and from ships that launched cruise missiles from the Mediterranean Sea, targeted the heart of Assad’s programs to develop and produce chemical weapons. Russia’s military said Syrian air defense units downed 71 out of 103 cruise missiles fired by the allies.

Mattis said Friday there were no reports of U.S. losses in what he described as a heavy but carefully limited assault.

Trump said the U.S. was prepared to sustain economic, diplomatic and military pressure on Assad until he ends what Trump called a criminal pattern of killing his own people with internationally banned chemical weapons. That did not mean military strikes would continue; in fact, Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said no additional attacks were currently planned.

Russian leader Vladimir Putin reaffirmed the Kremlin’s skepticism about the allies’ Douma claim, saying Russian military experts had found no trace of the attack. He criticized the U.S. and its allies for launching the strike without waiting for international inspectors to visit the area.

But British Prime Minister Theresa May cited reports she said indicated the Syrian government used a barrel bomb — large containers packed with fuel, explosives and scraps of metal — to deliver the chemicals. “No other group” could have carried out that attack, she said, adding that the allies’ use of force was “right and legal.”

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the West’s response was “necessary and appropriate.”

Mattis disclosed that the U.S. had not yet confirmed that the Douma attack — the most recent suspected Syrian chemical weapons attack, on April 7 — included the use of sarin gas. He said at least one chemical was used — chlorine, which also has legitimate industrial uses and had not previously triggered a U.S. military response.

He said the targets selected by U.S., British and French officials were meant to minimize civilian casualties.

“This is difficult to do in a situation like this,” he said, in light of the volatility of chemical agents.

Defense officials from the countries involved in the attack gave differing accounts of how much warning was given to the Russians, Syria’s powerful ally.

Dunford said the U.S. did not coordinate targets with or notify the Russian government of the strikes, beyond normal airspace “de-confliction” communications. But the description from an ally put things differently. French Defense Minister Florence Parly said that “with our allies, we ensured that the Russians were warned ahead of time.”

At a Pentagon news conference alongside Mattis, and with British and French military officers beside them to emphasize allied unity, Dunford said the attacks targeted mainly three targets in western Syria.

Dunford said missiles first struck a scientific research center in the Damascus area that he said was a center of Syrian research, development, production and testing of chemical and biological warfare technology. The second target was a chemical weapons storage facility west of Homs. He said this was believed to be the main site of Syrian sarin and precursor chemical production equipment.

The third target was a chemical weapons equipment storage facility and an important command post, also west of Homs, Dunford said.

British leader May said in London that the West had tried “every possible” diplomatic means to stop Assad from using chemical weapons. “But our efforts have been repeatedly thwarted” by Syria and Russia, she said.

“So there is no practicable alternative to the use of force to degrade and deter the use of chemical weapons by the Syrian regime,” May said. “This is not about intervening in a civil war. It is not about regime change.”

French President Emmanuel Macron said in a statement that a target of the strike was the Syrian government’s “clandestine chemical arsenal.”

The Syrian government has repeatedly denied any use of banned weapons.

The decision to strike, after days of deliberations, marked Trump’s second order to attack Syria. He authorized a barrage of Tomahawk cruise missiles to hit a single Syrian airfield in April 2017 in retaliation for Assad’s use of sarin gas against civilians.

Trump chastised Syria’s two main allies, Russia and Iran, for their roles in supporting “murderous dictators,” and noted that Russian President Vladimir Putin had guaranteed a 2013 international agreement for Assad to get rid of all of his chemical weapons. He called on Moscow to change course and join the West in seeking a more responsible regime in Damascus.

In his nationwide address, Trump stressed that he has no interest in a longtime fight with Syria.

“As other nations step up their contributions, we look forward to the day when we can bring our warriors home,” Trump said. “And great warriors they are.”