A 17-year-old has been charged with second-degree murder in connection with a 15-year-old Lawrence girl’s shooting death last month in Olathe.
The charge alleges that the teen acted “unintentionally but recklessly under circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to the value of human life.”
The teen is also charged with a misdemeanor count for allegedly being a juvenile in possession of a firearm.
Brianna Higgins was shot on Jan. 19 in Olathe near the 16900 block of West 127th Street. She was taken to the hospital, where she died, according to Olathe police. Police were contacted at Olathe Medical Center, where officers and hospital staff attempted lifesaving measures, but Brianna did not survive.
A judge recently decided the teen would be held in custody in the Johnson County juvenile detention facility, writing in an order that “The juvenile’s welfare is best ensured by detention at this time.”
“Respondent is alleged to have been involved in a serious felony incident. Dangerous behavior and use of a firearm in the current incident put his safety and that of the community at risk,” the order continued. “Respondent needs to be brought before the court forthwith so that his welfare and that of the community can be assessed.”
The teen’s defense attorney is Mark Hartman, who is also representing Derrick Reed in connection with the March 2023 shooting death of 14-year-old Kamarjay Shaw. Kamarjay and Brianna were friends, and Brianna had been present for a court hearing in Reed’s case.
Hartman said via email Wednesday that “There are no connections between my representation of (the teen) and my representation of Derrick.”
“Last Friday, I was in Manhattan for a client. On Monday, I was in Abilene meeting with a prosecutor on behalf of a different client. This morning, I was in Ulysses, way in the southwest corner of the state, for a hearing,” Hartman said. “I go where the work takes me.”
Brianna was a sophomore at Lawrence High School. She was “a beautiful, bright soul, definitely the light of the room,” according to an online fundraiser launched by her family to help pay for her funeral.
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Mackenzie Clark (she/her), reporter/founder of The Lawrence Times, can be reached at mclark@lawrencekstimes.com. Read more of her work for the Times here. Check out her staff bio here.
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