Topeka DA files charges against murder suspect

TOPEKA (KSNT)- Shawnee County District Attorney Mike Kagay announced charges were filed in connection to the shooting and killing of Sherman Coleman Jr. that happened April 17.

Christopher L. Brown is now facing charges of murder in the first-degree, second-degree murder, aggravated armed robbery, aggravated child endangerment, criminal possession of a firearm, distribution of marijuana and possession of paraphernalia with the intent to manufacture according to Kagay.

Kagay applauded the work of Chief Wheeles with the Topeka Police Department.

"Chief Wheeles has done a fantastic job," Kagay said. "I worked with him for many years when he was an investigator and I was a young prosecutor, so it's helpful to have that established working relationship."

Kagay said this type of relationship has allowed him and Chief Wheeles, both in leadership roles now, to work together and hold one another accountable.

"Across the board, top to bottom, our working relationship between my office and the police department has never been stronger," he said. "I would also say the same for the Sheriff's office as well."

On top of speaking on the strength of the working relationship between the offices, Kagay provided some more specific examples as to what exactly they are doing to bring the crime rate down.

"We are working on things like domestic violence and how we respond to the crime scene," the DA said. "There's some newer technology that allows us to take photographs of a victim's face."

He explains why this is important, saying that a lot of the issues stem from not being able to see these injuries clearly enough, so when a photograph of an injury is presented in front of a jury, they typically can't make out exactly what that "mark" or "injury" is for certain.

"This new technology photographs to go below that outer-layer of skin, so you can actually see discoloration or that bruise that will start to develop a couple of days later."

So, the new technology allows them to take a closer look at the evidence left behind at crime scenes, whether it be an injury or something else, to more swiftly deliver justice to the perpetrators in these incidents.

The remainder of the interview was spent discussing hiring staff and making renovations at the DA's office, as well as specifics on two recent shootings that happened in Topeka.