A 19-year-old Kansas woman accused in the May 19 shooting death of 19-year-old Lationna Johnson in Wichita, made her first appearance Wednesday in Sedgwick County District Court.
La’Niha Banks heard formal charges against her that include one count of first-degree murder. Banks also faces two counts of criminal discharge of a firearm, four counts of aggravated assault and one count of attempted first-degree murder.
Banks was released out of the Sedgwick County Jail on $500,000 bond June 8.
Police had been searching for Banks following a shooting last month in Old Town. On May 19 around 11:10 p.m., officers were dispatched to a shooting in the 1000 block of E 1st Street N. They learned Johnson was trying to break up a fight in the parking lot. Once the fight was over, she started to drive away when one of the females involved in the fight shot into Johnson’s vehicle.
Johnson suffered two gunshot wounds to her upper body. She was taken to the hospital with life-threatening injuries. She died a couple of days later.
Wichita police arrested Banks on Tuesday in connection to the shooting. She was booked into the Sedgwick County jail on one count of felony murder, two counts of criminal discharge into an occupied vehicle, one count of attempted first-degree murder, and four counts of aggravated assault.
Anyone with information on the case is asked to call WPD detectives at 316-268-4407, the See Something Say Something hotline at 316-519-2282, or Crime Stoppers at 316-267-2111. Case Number 23C043782.
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