What started as an apparent high school prank ended in a real shooting, teen possibly paralyzed

According to Sedgwick County Sheriff's Office, authorities responded to a 9-1-1 call around 5 p.m. 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, Ruben Contreras, 47, remained at the scene and was taken into custody and later charged with attempted first degree murder.

The teen suffered serious injuries, according to his family, including a gunshot wound that pierced his small intestine and damaged his spinal cord, causing loss of sensation from the waist down. On June 6, his mother said he had undergone six surgeries, saying “the doctors said everything was fine and he was healing well.” They warn that his “recovery journey has only just begun”, adding that the incident has changed their lives “forever”.

A probable cause arrest affidavit released this week sheds more light on what allegedly happened last month.

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

When they fired, someone reportedly shouted: “I am your main assassin”, with detectives say Senior Assassin is a game “played at Goddard High School in which students shoot other students with water guns.”

As the boys walked into Walmart — after reportedly shooting employees in the parking lot — the teen called her father and told him what happened. Leaving their vehicle in the parking lot, the boys then headed to Dairy Queen. When they returned, Contreras was on the scene.

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

Meanwhile, surveillance video allegedly showed Contreras chasing the boys, who were in Zehring's car, a Chevrolet Spark. The affidavit says Contreras “then appears to pull a firearm from the right side of his waistband,” before putting his hand in the open driver's side rear seat window and “firing a round into the vehicle.”

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

“Zehring said his ears started ringing and he realized he had been shot,” reads the affidavit. “Zehring said he turned west and realized he couldn't feel his legs. Zehring said he hit a pole in the parking lot to stop the Spark because he didn't want to hit anyone on the road.”

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

Speaking to the Wichita Eagle, Anakin's father, Jeremy Zehring, said: “No matter what happened, no matter the controversy… no matter the situation, my son did not deserve what happened to him . It will change his life forever. And it will change my life forever.

The teen has since graduated from high school – with a ceremony in his hospital room. According to his family, his prognosis “remains uncertain” and they have started a GoFundMe to help pay for medical expenses, as well as travel costs to stay near the rehabilitation center in Omaha where he is recovering, and modifications to his home.

Contreras is out of jail on $300,000 bail.