Charges filed against man accused of killing tow truck driver in Central Topeka

TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) - Murder charges have been filed against a man who allegedly shot and killed a tow truck driver in Central Topeka at the end of January.

Shawnee Co. District Attorney Mike Kagay announced on Tuesday, Feb. 7, that his office has filed charges against Wesley Tyrone Rayton, the man accused of shooting a tow truck driver in central Topeka marking the city’s seventh murder in 2023.

According to the District Attorney’s office, on Jan. 31, law enforcement officials were called to 915 SE 34th St. with reports that a man had shot at a tow truck. Moments later, dispatch received another call that reported the tow truck driver had been shot and crashed into a home in the area. Multiple reports told officials that the alleged shooter left the scene in a green Ford Explorer.

Responding officers saw the SUV, stopped the vehicle, and took Rayton into custody.

Officers that were on the scene of the incident discovered that the tow truck hit the home’s mailbox and stopped in the backyard at 919 SE 33rd Terrace, a block away from where the initial shooting was reported. When officials approached the truck, they found the driver had suffered a single gunshot wound. The District Attorney’s office noted that the shot came through the back glass of the truck, through the driver’s seat, and hit the driver.

The tow truck driver, identified as Michael R. Comp, was pronounced dead at the scene.

The District Attorney’s Office charged Rayton with four felony offenses: First Degree Murder (Off-Grid Felony); Criminal Discharge of a Firearm at an Occupied Vehicle (Level 3 Felony); Theft of a Firearm (Level 9 Felony); and Aggravated Assault (Level 7 Felony).

Rayton has a hearing scheduled for Fed. 16, 2023, at 4 p.m. His bond was set at $1,000,000.

The Topeka Police Department is conducting the investigation into this matter. If you have any information pertaining to this case, you can call the Topeka Police Department’s Criminal Investigation Bureau at 785-368-9400 or email telltpd@topeka.org. Any anonymous tips can also be made by calling Shawnee Co. Crime Stoppers at 785-234-0007 or online at www.p3tips.com/128.

The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

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