District attorney charges man with murder for deadly Topeka shooting

TOPEKA ( KSNT ) – The Shawnee County District Attorney’s Office said a 43-year-old man is being charged with murder in the first degree in connection to a recent deadly shooting.

Katie Garceran, a spokeswoman for the district attorney’s office, said in a press release on July 18 that John Eric Kyhnell, 43, is being charged with murder in the first degree and felon in possession of a firearm. He is being held in the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on a $1 million bond.

Officers with the Topeka Police Department (TPD) were called on July 13 to the 1300 block of Southeast Monroe Street on reports of a shooting. Police found a man, later identified as Richard Eloy Hernandez, 47, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He was declared dead at the scene.

TPD investigating the shooting identified Khynell as a suspect. The investigation into Hernandez’s death is ongoing.

You can report crimes to the TPD by sending an email to telltpd@topeka.org or by calling 785-368-9400. You can also make anonymous reports to Shawnee County Crime stoppers by calling 785-234-0007 or by clicking here.

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