A large disturbance at a Carthage residence turned deadly on the night of February 15, 2025. Officers responded about 11:30 p.m. to the 300 block of West Vine Street after reports of a physical altercation involving a weapon. Johny Danilo Reyes Garcia, 22, was found in the yard with a gunshot wound, transported to Mercy Carthage Hospital and pronounced deceased the next day, February 16.

Witnesses say a fight among a large group escalated until one individual stepped back, drew a pistol and fired. A witness video reportedly shows a suspect in a black hoodie and blue athletic shorts shooting the victim, then fleeing with three others in a passenger vehicle. Authorities identified 19-year-old Elijah M. Hardee of Joplin as the suspect; he was taken into custody in Galena, Kansas, and charged with second-degree murder and armed criminal action.

Garcia was remembered as a father and ADM employee, a member of St. Ann’s Catholic Church, and is survived by his parents, siblings and a young son. Does anyone have information about the disturbance on West Vine Street or the people who fled that night?