Authorities are seeking the public’s help to locate the suspect in a Sunday drive-by shooting, as well as the identity of a passenger in the car involved in the incident.
A warrant was issued Monday for Eric Torres, a 26-year-old white male, as the alleged shooter. He is described as being six feet tall, weighing 165 pounds, and having brown hair and blue eyes.
Officers were called to 1200 Ninth St. at 8:20 a.m. Sunday. They found Nicholas Curtice, 28, who reported he was standing in his front yard and a “known person” drove eastbound past the house in a maroon passenger car. “Curtice stated that the known driver then raised a handgun and fired one shot in his direction before leaving the area.”
Detective David Bailey said Curtice knew Torres. The two apparently worked together in the oil field.
Curtice was not hit by the bullet. But, it did strike a vehicle parked in the driveway, ricochetted and struck another vehicle (causing $650 in damage to the vehicles) and a garage at the residence.
Bailey said a small fragment of the bullet was recovered, and he believes it was of a “smaller caliber.” They type of gun remains unknown.
Curtice said there was an unknown passenger in the car along with the alleged shooter. Bailey said Curtice could not positively identify the second person.
The Barton County Sheriff’s Office, Ellinwood Police Department and Kansas Highway Patrol were issued an “attempt to locate” notice for the car driven by the suspect. The car is a beat-up looking Saturn or Oldsmobile Achiva. Its gas cap cover was missing and had a donut spare tire on the left rear.
Torres may have been headed to Hutchinson, and the GBPD has contacted the Hutchinson Police Department.
The case remains under investigation. Anyone with information on the incident is asked to call the GBPD at 620-793-4120 or Crime Stoppers at 620-792-1300.