Teenager pleads no contest in 2022 Towne East fatal shooting

WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — The teenager who was accused of shooting and killing TrenJ’vious Hutton, 14, at the Towne East Square Mall in 2022 , has pleaded no contest.

Te’bryis Robinson was 16 at the time of the shooting. He is now 18 years old. He pleaded no contest to second-degree murder, attempted second-degree murder, and aggravated battery on July 12.

In March 2023, a judge ruled he should be tried as an adult . At the time, the charges were first-degree murder and criminal use of a weapon. But in June of that same year, the case was sent back to juvenile court due to “a deficiency in the record.”

In January 2024, a judge ruled that Robinson should be prosecuted as an adult . He then submitted the no-contest plea.

The shooting happened on March 18, 2022. An active shooter call went out to the police department, and as officers arrived, shoppers were racing to leave the building. Dispatchers at Sedgwick County 911 took 168 calls in less than 10 minutes after the shooting.

The Wichita Police Department said the shooting stemmed from a fight related to an ongoing dispute. Police said during the fight, Robinson allegedly pulled out a gun and shot multiple rounds, hitting Hutton.

Some witnesses near the shooting tried to save Hutton ‘s life, but he died at the scene.

The same judge who ruled in January that Robinson should be tried as an adult will sentence Robinson on Sept. 12.

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