Daniel Wayne Ward was killed on his 29th birthday, July 30, 2022, in Olathe, Kansas. Police found him unresponsive at a home in the 1200 block of North Purdom Street with a significant head injury; he was pronounced dead at the scene and his fatal wound was later determined to be a gunshot.

Investigators arrested a 15-year-old boy known to Ward at the scene. The Johnson County District Attorney’s Office originally charged the teen with first-degree murder and sought to have him tried as an adult, along with a weapons charge for juvenile possession of a firearm. That earlier murder charge was later reduced: the teenager was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter and criminal use of weapons and was tried in juvenile court. Court filings show both Ward and the teen had prior records—Ward with an aggravated battery conviction the previous year; the teen with two battery cases and one disorderly conduct count. Sentencing for the juvenile defendant was scheduled for December 8, 2023.

Did anyone in Olathe know Ward or have information about his movements on July 29–30, 2022?