1. Water gun game murder charge
2. Man charged with murder in water gun game incident.
Accident – Death – Obituary News :
Left: Crime scene footage from shooting of Anakin Zehring, May 11, 2024 in Kansas. Inset: Ruben Contreras appears in court after arrest (images via YouTube/KSN). Right: Anakin Zehring (via GoFundMe).
A Kansas man, Ruben Contreras, aged 47, stands accused of attempted first-degree murder following a tragic incident that left an 18-year-old paralyzed after a high school game involving a toy water gun in a Walmart parking lot.
According to a probable cause affidavit from the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office obtained by Law&Crime on Friday, the shooting took place around 5 p.m. on May 11 in Goddard, Kansas. Anakin Zehring, 18, was found in his car parked at Walmart, having been shot once in the lower back. The bullet had reportedly pierced his kidney and liver, leaving him in a critical condition. Medical staff later indicated that he may have suffered paralysis as a result of the gunshot wound.
Kelly Zehring, the teen’s mother, told local NBC affiliate KSN that her son is struggling to come to terms with the ordeal, revealing the extent of his injuries including damage to his small intestine and spinal cord.
“Mom, every time I close my eyes, I tell my legs to move for me and they don’t move,” Kelly Zehring shared her son’s heartbreaking words after undergoing spinal fusion surgery.
“So it’s very hard for him, very hard; I mean, it’s sad that he has to go through this,” she added.
Contreras was taken into custody and charged on May 15. Police investigations and interviews with witnesses revealed that the incident stemmed from an altercation where Zehring, accompanied by two other teens, allegedly used a toy gun called a “gel blaster” to shoot at Contreras’ daughter in front of Walmart. The gel blaster fires polymer water beads.
Witnesses reported that Zehring’s actions were part of a social media trending game among high school seniors known as “Senior Assassin.” This game has sparked concerns in other regions, such as Virginia, where school districts have raised issues regarding the use of fake weapons that closely resemble real ones.
After the girl was shot with the gel blaster, she contacted her father, Contreras, who arrived at the scene armed and attempted to confront Zehring as he tried to drive away. CCTV footage from the parking lot captured Contreras approaching Zehring’s car, pulling out a firearm, and firing a single shot through the back window on the driver’s side.
A teenage passenger identified as L.O., who was in the back seat of Zehring’s car during the incident, stated that they also shot their toy gun at a Walmart employee before the group left the store. They then returned to the car, and as they were about to leave, Contreras approached them, leading to the fatal shot being fired.
Zehring’s friends abandoned the vehicle after the crash caused by the gunshot, while the couple who were initially shot with the gel blaster recounted the events that unfolded, including Zehring’s aggressive behavior towards them before the shooting.
Contreras, who posted a $300,000 bond, has since been released from custody. He made his first court appearance on May 15 but is scheduled for a subsequent hearing on June 24.
Meanwhile, Anakin Zehring continues to undergo treatment for his injuries, with mounting medical expenses. A GoFundMe page set up by his family details his current rehabilitation in Omaha and the challenges they face in covering his ongoing care and rehabilitation costs.
“Currently, he is experiencing a loss of sensation in his lower extremities, and while the prognosis remains uncertain, we are holding onto hope for his recovery. The financial burden of this journey is immense. Medical expenses are mounting rapidly, and we are bracing for future costs related to his ongoing care and rehabilitation,” Kelly Zehring wrote.
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Water gun game man’s murder charge police.
