Kevin Cash Valencia, a 15-year-old freshman at Fayette High School, was killed at his home in Fayette, Missouri, on the evening of February 20, 2021, when he was struck by a bullet from a rifle. The Fayette Police Department initially treated the shooting as an accident. Kevin was remembered in the community as a dedicated athlete.

Investigators later arrested his father, Eddie Martin Valencia, just over a week after the shooting. Eddie Valencia told officials he was checking a .308-caliber rifle and intended to dry fire it when it discharged; he said he did not check to see if the firearm was loaded because the weapons were never kept loaded. He initially denied drinking that day and refused a breathalyzer, but medical records showed a blood-alcohol level of 0.134 two hours after the shooting, and he later admitted to having been drinking.

In April 2022 Eddie Martin Valencia pleaded guilty to first-degree involuntary manslaughter and received a suspended five-year sentence, 10 days of shock detention, and five years of probation, with prohibitions on alcohol use and firearm possession. Does anyone in the Fayette area have information about Kevin’s final hours or about safety practices in homes with firearms?