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How jurors decide the death penalty is a controversial issue that has sparked debate from Kansas trial courts to the U.S. Supreme Court.

It's no wonder that potential jurors find it difficult to understand.

The most lengthy explanations at this week's jury selection for Ted Burnett's capital murder trial focus on the process of imposing the death penalty.

Burnett, charged with killing 14-year-old Chelsea Brooks, could face death if convicted. Because he is innocent in the eyes of the court, his public defenders say they're uncomfortable explaining the law.

But lawyers say they have to discuss capital punishment with jurors to know if they can be fair.

The shooting of a Wichita man next to an east Wichita barber shop Tuesday appeared to stem from a dispute in a parking lot several weeks ago, police said Wednesday.

Franklin Williams, 27, was shot more than once "in the lower extremities" at about 1:50 p.m. in the 1800 block of East 13th Street, Lt. Jeff Easter said. Williams underwent surgery at Wesley Medical Center and is expected to survive.

Williams told police he did not know the name of the shooter, but that the man had gotten mad at him over "a driving issue," Easter said.

The shooter confronted Williams again in the parking lot of Adrian's 2 Hip Hop Barber & Beauty Shop.

"It's so out of the norm... to argue and escalate to the point of a gunfight," said Brian Withrow, a criminologist at Wichita State University. "That's pretty remarkable."

Arellano, Jeffrey C., and Grommesh, Catherine D., both of Wichita.

Armstrong, Ty C. and Richey, Jaclyn R., both of Wichita.

Aronis, Austin J. and Niblack, Emily D., both of Wichita.

Bennett, Kevin C. and Johnson, Kelli N., both of Wichita.

Boatright, Lura J., Wichita, and Whisler, Kristi L., Andover.

Criminal complaints from police beats in Wichita. Missing dates indicate days where no reports were filed.

Beat 11

Drug offense

900 block of N. Carter, April 29.

Larceny

The Kansas Supreme Court unanimously ruled Tuesday that while a citizen-petitioned grand jury is constitutional, a group investigating a Wichita abortion clinic can't form a grand jury to go on a "fishing expedition" for patient records.

Abortion rights supporters and opponents both applauded the ruling, which allowed a grand jury to continue investigating George Tiller's Women's Health Care Services clinic, but required oversight from a trial judge.

Abortion opponents have used citizen grand juries to launch investigations against clinics in Wichita and Johnson County.

The court's order provided Sedgwick County District Court detailed instructions for how to review a subpoena for thousands of patient records from Tiller's clinic.

Troy Newman of Operation Rescue West, one of three abortion opponents who helped collect more than 7,000 signatures to impanel the Wichita grand jury, said he was pleased the court upheld the process.

The fight for about 270 uncommitted Democratic Party superdelegates shifted into a higher gear Wednesday, but few of the party insiders were ready to pledge their allegiance to Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton.

"I try to keep an open mind and am really trying to be alert, because a lot of things are going to happen in the next month," said Helen Knetzer of Wichita, the president of the National Federation of Democratic Women and one of Kansas' nine superdelegates.

Still, the pressure is on for the party leaders, activists and lawmakers who could decide the Democratic nomination to make up their minds and end the long and increasingly taxing race.

Party leaders talked privately throughout the day to unpledged members of Congress at the Capitol, urging them to announce decisions before the final primaries on June 3.

"If this goes beyond that," said Rep. Mike Honda, D-Calif., a party vice chairman, "it could lead to the perception that the superdelegates are wagging this dog" and make voters in Democratic