PITTSBURG, Kan. — Two suspects have been arrested on murder charges and the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, Crawford County Sheriff’s Office, and Pittsburg Police Department are investigating following the death of a Weir man near Pittsburg’s western city limits on Friday.
At about 2:30 p.m. Friday, the Pittsburg Police Department received a 911 call from Collin Pal Gebford, 43, reporting someone was shot, according to a KBI press release. Police located the victim, David Duane Mays, 51, of Weir, in the roadway near 1023 N. Main St., Pittsburg. Mays suffered a fatal gunshot wound to the chest.
At about 3 p.m., Crawford County Sheriff Danny Smith requested a KBI Crime Scene Response Team investigation, during the course of which it was determined there was an altercation that resulted in gunfire. Another male victim was identified, questioned by police, and released, according to the KBI.
Gebford was arrested without incident, charged with suspicion of attempted premeditated first degree murder and felony murder, and booked into the Crawford County Jail.
A second suspect, Travis Blake Conness, 32, of Neosho, Missouri, remained at large at the time of the initial investigation, but the KBI announced early Saturday afternoon that Conness had been located and arrested without incident. He was booked into the Crawford County Jail and will be charged with suspicion of attempted premeditated first degree murder and felony murder, according to the KBI.
An autopsy will be performed Tuesday, Feb. 21. The Kansas Highway Patrol and Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks also assisted with the investigation. The case will be prosecuted by the Crawford County Attorney. All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law, the KBI release noted.
