A judge on Thursday denied a request for immunity from prosecution from one of two defendants charged in a fatal shooting at the Hawk and determined the case should proceed to trial.
Lawrence police allege that Caiden Clem, of Atchison, fired several rounds into the air outside the Hawk before Daitron Daniels Strickland, of Shawnee, turned and fired toward a small group near the bar’s entrance, killing 18-year-old Aidan Sullivan Knowles and injuring 16-year-old Brady Clark during the early morning hours of Jan. 17.
Razmi Tahirkheli, attorney for 19-year-old Daniels Strickland, presented surveillance video clips from the confrontation outside the Pine Room at the Hawk, 1340 Ohio St.
He argued the footage showed that Strickland was acting in self-defense. In the footage, Clem displayed a firearm during a disturbance and fired shots, and Strickland reacted within seconds firing back because he reasonably feared he was in danger, Tahirkheli said.
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Lawrence police Detective M.T. Brown testified that the defense clips were shortened versions of surveillance footage he recovered from multiple cameras, including cameras at the Hawk and the Wheel. Brown said the clips had been edited for length, but that activities within the time periods shown had not been altered.
Prosecutor Eve Kemple argued that the longer video record showed Daniels Strickland turn toward people near the Pine Room entrance, pull a handgun from his waistband and fire. Kemple also cited Daniels Strickland’s statements to police, arguing they did not show that he’d believed deadly force was necessary.
Douglas County Judge Amy Hanley ruled that the evidence did not establish that Strickland believed deadly force was necessary, nor that a reasonable person would have believed it was necessary under the circumstances. She denied his request for immunity.
The judge also found probable cause for Daniels Strickland to face trial on a charge of first-degree murder, two counts of attempted first-degree murder and one count of criminal possession of a weapon by a felon, and she certified a misdemeanor count for trial.
Strickland is set to be arraigned at 11 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 13.
Clem’s case is currently set for a plea hearing on Oct. 15, court records show.
Defendants in criminal cases should be presumed not guilty unless they are convicted. Read more background on the case in the articles linked below.
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Courtney Lane (she/her), staff reporter, has worked with The Lawrence Times since April 2026. She can be reached at [email protected].
Read her complete bio here. Read her work for the Times at this link, and see her photography for the Times at this link.
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