Mauricia Strother was 18 when she was shot in Kansas City, Missouri, on the morning of May 3, 2020. Police found her critically wounded inside a vehicle in the 8000 block of Michigan Avenue; she was taken to a nearby hospital and died three days later. The shooting was one of seven homicides in the city during a violent five-day span.

Family remembered Mauricia as a bright, outgoing young woman who loved fashion and hoped to study journalism. She had studied French at Acadèmie Lafayette before attending Paseo Academy and was described by her mother as a leader adored by friends.

Investigators say nine shell casings were found at the scene and surveillance footage showed a vehicle associated with 18-year-old Wesley Palton in the area. Police allege the shooting followed a confrontation after Mauricia tried to protect a girlfriend from Palton’s alleged abuse. Palton was arrested and charged; he later pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter in the first degree and armed criminal action and received a ten-year prison sentence.

Did anyone who knew Mauricia or saw activity on Michigan Avenue that morning share information with investigators?