The judge and families in the courtroom expressed frustration as attorneys for the two teenage defendants charged in the fatal shooting at the Hawk requested again to delay court hearings.

Lawrence police allege that Caiden Clem, 18, of Atchison, fired several rounds into the air outside the Hawk before Daitron Daniels Strickland, 18, 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. 

This is the third time the defense has requested to continue or push back the hearings after the first day of preliminary hearings on Feb. 10.

Monday was set to be the second day of the preliminary hearing for Daniels Strickland, plus Clem’s arraignment hearing. A preliminary hearing is where a judge determines if there’s enough evidence to establish probable cause and justify a full trial, and an arraignment is when a defendant enters a plea. Clem waved his right to a preliminary hearing on the morning of Feb. 10.

Monday was also when Douglas County District Judge Amy Hanley was set to resolve a motion for immunity for Daniels Strickland. 

He is charged with one count of first-degree murder, which includes premeditation, and two counts of attempted first-degree murder. He was previously charged with one count of second-degree murder and two counts of attempted second-degree murder, but his charges were upgraded. He is also charged with battery and criminal possession of a firearm by a felon.

The motion for immunity argues Daniels Strickland’s use of force during the shooting was legally justified because he reasonably believed he was in imminent danger after hearing multiple gunshots fired nearby. 

Daniels Strickland’s defense attorney Razmi Tahirkheli requested the continuance because he intended to call Detective M.T. Brown of the Lawrence Police Department as a witness.

However, Tahirkheli found out that by the time the subpoena was issued, Brown was already out of the country, so he could not be served.

Hanley asked if the defense had received any notice that Brown wasn’t successfully served. Tahirkheli said they didn’t, but they also didn’t receive confirmation of the service.

“Folks, I’m not the only one in the courtroom who’s a bit frustrated,” Hanley said before granting the continuance. She said there was good cause for the continuance since Brown is a critical witness.

She told Tahirkheli that the defense would have to ensure that they speak to Brown over the phone before the next hearing in addition to a subpoena. She said she would not reschedule again.

The hearings — including Daniels Strickland’s preliminary hearing and resolution to the motion for immunity and Clem’s arraignment — are now set from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday, June 11.

Cornwell also requested on Monday that Hanley lower Clem’s bond to $25,000 on the condition of house arrest, since his bond had been set before his initial charges were lowered. 

Clem is charged with four counts of aggravated assault and one count of criminal possession of a firearm by a felon. He was previously charged with first-degree felony murder in the death of Knowles, but prosecutors previously amended the charges. Currently, he is held in the county jail on a bond of $500,000 cash or surety.

Hanley denied the initial request and said that Cornwell should file a written motion with a workable plan outlining where Clem would live, who he would be with and whether he would be working or going to school for her to even consider it.

Daniels Strickland is also being held in custody of the jail, on a $1 million cash or surety bond. 

Families on the side of the prosecution verbalized their dismay over the delay when Senior Assistant District Attorney Eve Kemple broke the news to them Monday before the hearing was set to begin.

Kemple had opposed the motion for continuance. She told the families and friends gathered that the continuance was out of her control, but said that cases like this can take years to resolve.

Defendants in criminal cases should be presumed not guilty unless they are convicted. Read more background on the case in the articles linked below.

Wulfe Wulfemeyer (they/them), reporter and news editor, has worked with The Lawrence Times since May 2025. They can be reached at wulfe@lawrencekstimes.com.

Read their complete bio here. Read their work for the Times here.

Courtney Lane (she/her), staff reporter, has worked with The Lawrence Times since April 2026. She can be reached at clane@lawrencekstimes.com.

Read her complete bio here. Read her work for the Times at this link.

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