An Atchison teenager charged in connection with the fatal January shooting at the Hawk pleaded guilty to three charges of aggravated assault and to one count of attempted trafficking of contraband while in custody.
Lawrence police allege that Caiden Clem, 19, of Atchison, fired several rounds into the air outside the Hawk before Daitron Daniels Strickland, 19, of Shawnee, turned and fired toward a small group near the bar’s entrance, killing 18-year-old Aidan Sullivan Knowles and injuring Brady Clark, 16 at the time, during the early morning hours of Jan. 17. The Hawk, or Jayhawk Cafe, is located at 1340 Ohio St.
Clem appeared before Douglas County District Judge Amy Hanley Thursday.
Clem had been charged with four counts of aggravated assault with use of a deadly weapon and one count of criminal possession of a firearm by a felon. The state waived one charge of aggravated assault and the count of possession of a firearm as part of the plea deal.
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Carl Cornwell, Clem’s attorney, said that all of Clem’s actions at the Hawk were caught on camera.
“There’s no question he’s guilty of three counts of aggravated assault,” he said. “Had he not been intoxicated, I don’t think he would have done it.”
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Cornwell said he and Clem had good conversations about the situation since, and he was admitting responsibility for his actions.
Prosecutor Eve Kemple and Cornwell asked Hanley to sentence Clem to 53 consecutive months in prison based on his criminal history for the three remaining charges related to the Hawk shooting case. He would need to register as a violent offender for 15 years.
Cornwell and Kemple both recommended 21 months in prison for the attempted trafficking of K2. He would also have one year of post-release supervision.
That would be a total of 74 consecutive months in prison for these two cases. Kemple asked that he serve those months consecutively with his sentences on two other Atchison juvenile cases.
Hanley will sentence Clem at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 5.
Cornwell also asked for the judge to make arrangements so Clem could hold his newborn son during a visit to the prison.
Kemple said that she was “not unsympathetic to the situation,” but was concerned that a visit could be another opportunity for someone to get illicit substances to Clem, considering his charge of attempted trafficking.
Hanley said she would talk to the sheriff to see what would be possible.
Clem was initially charged with first-degree felony murder in the death of Knowles, but prosecutors amended the charges in February. Clem waived his right to a preliminary hearing on the morning of Feb. 10, and his arraignment hearings were continued and ultimately canceled.
Clem has been in custody and his bond has been $500,000 cash or surety since the arrest. He will remain in custody.
Daniels Strickland is set to be arraigned at 9 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 12. He is charged with first-degree murder, two counts of attempted first-degree murder and one count of criminal possession of a weapon by a felon.
Read more coverage of the case in the articles linked below.
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Wulfe Wulfemeyer (they/them), reporter and news editor, has worked with The Lawrence Times since May 2025. They can be reached at [email protected].
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Wulfe Wulfemeyer/Lawrence TimesTeen pleads guilty to charges connected with fatal Hawk shooting
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