Great Bend Murder Suspect Arrested in Salina Following Fatal Shooting of 17-Year-Old

A 19-year-old man accused in the shooting death of a 17-year-old girl in Great Bend was arrested in Salina following a multi-agency search.

Great Bend Police officers were dispatched at approximately 12:30 a.m. Sept. 5 to the 1400 block of Lakin Avenue following a 911 hang-up call.

When officers arrived, they were told someone had been shot in the backyard. Police located a female victim who was dead from an apparent gunshot wound.

The victim was later identified as 17-year-old Erin Smith.

Investigators identified 19-year-old Keegan Ray Martens as a suspect and determined he had left the scene before officers arrived.

Law enforcement officers searched for Martens, with the Kansas Highway Patrol also utilizing an aircraft during the search.

Martens was later located in Salina and taken into custody. He was transported back to Barton County and booked into the Barton County Jail.

The Great Bend Police Department said the Barton County Sheriff's Office, Kansas Highway Patrol and Salina Police Department assisted with the investigation.

Martens made his first appearance in Barton County District Court Friday and has been charged with second-degree murder and aggravated endangering a child.

His bond was set at $250,000 cash or surety with GPS monitoring. He remained in custody at the Barton County Jail at the time of the latest court report.

The Kansas Attorney General's Office is prosecuting the case after it was forwarded by the Barton County Attorney's Office.

A second man, 22-year-old Daylan Kane Sherwood, has also been charged in connection with the case. Sherwood faces charges of aggravated endangering a child, interference with law enforcement and criminal possession of a weapon by a convicted felon.

The charges are allegations. Both defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.