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A 24-year-old man is charged with the shooting death of a Wichita girl. Zach Gaston made his first appearance in court Friday afternoon.
Prosecutors charged Gaston with first degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm, criminal discharge of a firearm and criminal possession of a firearm by a felon. His bond was set for $500,000. His next court appearance is scheduled for September 20th.
But Gaston seemed confused by the charges against him, and asked Sedgwick County District Judge Warren Wilbert several questions.
"I was booked in and it said felony murder, now how come it says murder in the first degree?", Gaston asked.
He also wondered why he was facing a new charge.
"So they just recently add possession of a firearm, I never got caught with a firearm," Gaston said in court. "I didn't know that either."
Gaston is accused of firing a gun early Tuesday morning in the parking lot of a mobile home park on South Broadway. Police say he was firing at a vehicle, but his bullets went through the walls of some mobile homes.
8-year-old Kimbra Moore was sleeping in her bed when a stray bullet went through her bedroom wall and killed her.
Moore was laid to rest Friday. A funeral service was held at Lighthouse Community Church in Oaklawn.
Gaston was a 2006 Derby High graduate. He was convicted in 2007 of drug possession. He spent time in prison. Once released he was cited a few times for parole violations.
Twenty-eight year-old Jessica Padilla was arrested at the same time as Gaston. In court Friday, she was charged with interference with law enforcement. The judge set her bond for $100,000. She's expected back in court September 20.