Three in custody after Atchison shooting leaves girl critically injured

Three people were in custody after a late-night shooting in Atchison left a 12-year-old girl critically injured and flown to a Kansas City hospital for further treatment.

Atchison police said officers responded around 11:45 p.m. Thursday to the 1400 block of Commercial Street, where multiple shots were fired while four people were on or near the porch of a residence. One bullet struck the girl. Atchison County EMS took her first to Amberwell Atchison before she was airlifted out of town. She remained hospitalized through the weekend.

Police identified the first suspect as 20-year-old Blackthunder Dorsch of Horton, who was arrested shortly after 2 p.m. Friday in Horton and booked into the Brown County Jail on a $250,000 bond. By Friday night, officers in Horton had arrested 18-year-old Ollie Horned-Eagle and a 16-year-old juvenile male. Horned-Eagle was also booked into the Brown County Jail on a $250,000 bond, while the juvenile was taken to a juvenile detention facility.

The three face serious felony allegations, including attempted second-degree murder, aggravated assault, aggravated battery, criminal discharge of a firearm at an occupied dwelling, and criminal damage to property. The case has quickly become one of the most serious public safety incidents in Atchison this year because it involved a child, multiple suspects and gunfire at a home where other people were present.

Atchison Police Chief Mike Wilson said detectives worked through the day and into the weekend, interviewing witnesses, serving search warrants, locating handguns, seizing evidence and impounding a vehicle tied to the case. He said police also worked with Horton law enforcement to locate and arrest the suspects. Investigators were still reviewing evidence and following up on interviews as prosecutors continue building the case.

Atchison County, home to 16,249 residents across 431 square miles, has now seen a case that reached from a residential block in Atchison to arrests in Horton and into the Brown County Jail. For families on Commercial Street and elsewhere in the county, the immediate concern remains the girl’s recovery and the possibility of more charges or court action as the investigation moves ahead.