Dallas Dehart Obituary, Death; – Topeka has reported 19 homicides thus far in 2025, while Shawnee County has experienced three slayings this year as of Tuesday morning, according to records from WIBW-TV.
This figure includes the victim of an incident that police officials are describing as a murder-suicide, which occurred around 8:21 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 23, at the McDonald’s located at 1201 S.W. Gage Blvd.
In this incident, police reported that 76-year-old Melvin Gerstenkorn, a resident of Topeka, suffered a fatal gunshot wound. The individual suspected of the shooting, 51-year-old Dallas Dehart, also from Topeka, died from what police believe to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Additionally, a third individual, identified as a 22-year-old man, sustained life-threatening injuries during the incident and was taken to a hospital in Topeka, where police officials indicated he remained as of Tuesday.
Topeka police officials stated on Tuesday that “there are no known relationships between any of these individuals” involved in the McDonald’s shooting.
The investigation into the homicide is ongoing.
