15 March 2023
MANHATTAN (KSNT) – Three people have been arrested in connection to a shooting that left one person injured in the parking lot of the Sunset Zoo in Manhattan earlier this month.
Aaron Wintermote with the Riley County Police Department said Christian Soto, 18, and Carlos Rodiguez, 23, both of Manhattan, in connection to the shooting. A 17-year-old was also arrested.
Wintermote said the investigation into the shooting led police to believe the three robbed two other men, aged 17 and 20, at gunpoint. Rodiguez was allegedly shot in the neck during the robbery by the 17-year-old victim. All parties involved left the scene before officers arrived. Rodiguez was taken to a Manhattan hospital and later to a hospital in Topeka for treatment before being released last week.
Wintermote said Soto and Rodiguez are being held in the Riley County Jail on $80,000 bonds each. The 17-year-old was taken to a juvenile detention facility in Junction City.
Wintermote said the police are still looking for more information on a person who was also allegedly involved in the shooting. The person has yet to be identified and anyone with information is encouraged to call the RCPD at 785-537-2112 or Manhattan Riley County Crime Stoppers at 785-539-7777.
Police were called to the Sunset Zoo in the 2300 block of Oak St. at 5:07 p.m. on March 6 after receiving a report of a shooting with one gunshot victim. Upon arrival, officers found a 23-year-old Manhattan man, later identified as Rodiguez, with a gunshot wound to his neck. The man was taken to a local hospital then to Topeka for further treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.