Victor Gabriel Moreno died right there in a parking lot on the west side of New Hampshire Street. He was 23 and from Lawrence. Police got the call about gunshots around 3 a.m. Sunday. Officers rolled up fast and found him hurt bad from the bullets.
They started working on him right away. Hands on, doing what they could until the paramedics showed up and took over. It was not enough. Moreno was pronounced dead at the scene. No more chances. Just gone.

That stretch of the 700 block sits in the heart of downtown. Quiet at that hour usually. Then shots. Then a young man on the ground. Detectives are still piecing together the minutes before it happened. They have not said much else about how it all went down.
As of Sunday afternoon no one was in cuffs. No suspect named. Police keep asking folks who saw something or heard something to speak up. Call the dispatch line at 785-843-0250. Or tip Crime Stoppers of Lawrence and Douglas County at 785-843-8477 if you want to stay quiet about who you are.
Moreno leaves a hole for the people who knew him. Friends. Family. The ones who expected more years with him. A life that stopped cold in a parking lot while most of the town slept.
The investigation keeps going. Officers want the facts. They need the right person held responsible. Every tip counts right now.
Downtown Lawrence feels the weight of it. One more young face gone. The questions hang there until somebody comes forward with what they know.








