What Began as Apparent High School Prank Ended In Actual Shooting, Teen Possibly Paralyzed

According to the Sedgwick County Sheriff's Office, authorities responded to a 9-1-1 call around 5pm on May 11 in Goddard, KS. When they arrived, they found an 18-year-old man, later identified as Anakin Zehring, suffering from a gunshot wound. The suspect, 47-year-old Ruben Contreras remained at the scene and was taken into custody and later charged with attempted first-degree murder.

Per his family, the teen sustained severe injuries, including a bullet wound that punctured his small intestine and damaged his spinal cord, causing loss of sensation from the waist down. As of June 6, his mother says he's had six surgeries -- claiming, "doctors said everything looks good and he's healing well." They caution his "recovery journey is just beginning," adding that the incident has changed their lives "forever."

A probable cause arrest affidavit released this week sheds more light into what allegedly went down last month.

A Walmart employee told deputies he saw someone inside a vehicle with three teenage boys fire a gel blaster -- a gun which fires water beads -- at a pair of teenagers, one of them being Contreras' daughter. The Wichita Eagle noted Zehring claimed he was driving but a friend fired the blaster, while the friend accused Zehring of pulling the trigger.

When they fired, someone allegedly shouted, "I'm your senior assassin," with detectives saying Senior Assassin is a game "being played at Goddard High School in which students shoot at other students with water guns."

As the boys went into Walmart -- after they allegedly shot at employees as well in the parking lot -- the teen girl called her father and told him what happened. Leaving their vehicle in the parking lot, the boys then walked over to Dairy Queen. By the time they returned, Contreras was at the scene.

Contreras' daughter pointed out the three boys, said a Walmart employee.

Surveillance video, meanwhile, allegedly showed Contreras run after the boys, who were in Zehring's car, a Chevrolet Spark. The affidavit notes Contreras then "appears to pull out a firearm from the right side of his waistband," before allegedly putting his hand into the open window of the driver's side back seat area and "fires one round into the vehicle."

The daughter, meanwhile, told authorities she then heard a loud pop, before Zehring's car drove off and crashed into shipping containers.

"Zehring said his ears starting (sic) ringing and realized he had been shot," reads the affidavit. "Zehring says he turned to the west and realized he couldn't feel his legs. Zehring stated he hit a pole in the parking lot to get the Spark to stop because he didn't want to hit anyone in the roadway."

A single bullet hole was found in the driver's seat, while Zehring was shot in the back. Contreras had a 9mm Smith and Wesson handgun on him when he was taken into custody.

Speaking with The Wichita Eagle, Anakin's father Jeremy Zehring said, "Whatever happened, whatever controversy ... regardless of any situation, my son didn't deserve what happened to him. This will change his life forever. And it's going to change my life forever and my family's."

The teen has since graduated high school -- with a ceremony inside his hospital room. According to his family, his prognosis "remains uncertain" and they've started a GoFundMe to help with medical bills, as well as travel expenses for them to stay near the rehabilitation facility in Omaha where he's recovering, and home modifications.

Contreras is out of jail on a $300,000 bond.