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WICHITA, Kan. - The district attorney's office has cleared two Wichita police officers in a deadly shooting last March in Old Town. The shooting happened on March 10 in the 200 block of North Mosley. Several Wichita police officers were already in the area when 23-year-old Marquez Smart fired a large-caliber handgun into a crowd, then ran away.
Officers saw Smart fire the shots, and two began chasing him while ordering him to drop the gun. When he did not, they officers opened fire. The report indicates Smart was shot five times by the two officers. Smart was taken to an area hospital and pronounced dead. Other bystanders were also treated for non-life-threatening gunshot wounds.In a review released Thursday, the district attorney ruled that the shooting was lawful and justified to stop Smart's escape from the commission of a forcible felony. It went on to say that the initial actions of Smart firing a .45 caliber handgun into a crowded area made him an "imminent lethal threat" to everyone in the area.
Wichita Police Chief Norman Williams said that now the review is complete, an internal administrative investigation will begin. Members of the WPD Professional Standards Bureau will review the incident to make sure there were no violations of policy or regulations. “It is very important to the Wichita Police Department that our officers follow not only the law, but our own policies," said Williams.