Inset: Aidan Sullivan Knowles (Alden Harrington Funeral Home). Background: The Hawk Bar in Lawrence, Kansas, where Knowles was shot to death (KSHB).
Two Kansas men face murder charges after they allegedly fired shots at a college town bar, leading to the death of one teen — whose family says he was simply “at the wrong place at the wrong time” — and the injury of another.
Caiden Clem, 18, is charged with first-degree murder and Daitron Daniels-Strickland, also 18, stands accused of second-degree murder in the death of Aidan Sullivan Knowles, 18, and the shooting of a 16-year-old boy who survived. Clem also faces two counts of aggravated assault while Daniels-Strickland is charged with two counts of attempted murder.
Lawrence police responded around 2 a.m. on Jan. 17 to the Hawk Bar at 1340 Ohio Street, near Kansas University, about a shooting. When cops arrived they found two victims and several witnesses who said the suspects ran away after the shooting. Officers quickly found the suspects a couple of blocks away and took them into custody.
Paramedics pronounced Knowles dead at the scene and rushed the 16-year-old to the hospital, where he was last listed in critical condition.
According to a probable cause arrest affidavit obtained by local NBC affiliate KSHB and the Kansas City Star, the victims and suspects were in separate groups that got into altercations with bar staff during a night of drinking. After getting kicked out of the bar, Clem allegedly fired about four shots in the air just outside the establishment. Daniels-Strickland then pulled out a semi-automatic weapon and shot into the entrance where Knowles and the other teen were standing, the affidavit reportedly stated.
Later, Clem denied to detectives that he fired any shots or even heard any. Daniels-Strickland admitted to firing his weapon, claiming he was “scared” when he fired the shots, according to cops. In a motion for immunity, Daniels-Strickland”s lawyer said his client thought someone was shooting at him when Clem fired the initial shots and he returned fire in self-defense. He fired into a wall outside the bar and not at anyone in particular, the motion said.
But Daniels-Strickland also allegedly said that it was maybe a “good thing he caught a body on his first adult charge.” Both are in the Douglas County Jail. They have a court date set for Feb. 10.
Knowles’ father, Bobby Knowles, wrote on Facebook that his son was “simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
“We are completely devastated,” he wrote.
Aidan Knowles graduated from high school last year, according to his obituary.
“He was known for his athleticism, and loved playing baseball and wrestling. Aidan excelled at wrestling, in high school he lettered in the sport and he placed 4th at the USA Kids Wrestling Championships in 2025,” the obituary said.
