Ethan Kai DeLeon was an 18-year-old from Amarillo who was shot and killed inside his vehicle on April 22, 2025, at Benton Park on the 1400 block of South Vernon Street. Officers arrived about 7:30 p.m.; despite first aid from officers and paramedics Ethan was pronounced dead at the scene. Crime Scene Investigators processed the area for several hours.

Police identified a 13-year-old male juvenile as the suspected shooter; the youth was taken into custody and booked into the Youth Center of the High Plains on a murder charge. Authorities have not released a motive or explained how the firearm was obtained, and the Homicide Unit says the investigation is ongoing.

Ethan was active in ROTC and pursued music and dance, described by family as charismatic and compassionate. His mother, Monica Garcia, his brother Dominic DeLeon, and extended family are mourning; a funeral was scheduled at Cornerstone Outreach Ministry with interment at Llano Cemetery East. Does anyone in Amarillo have information about that evening at Benton Park or about what led up to this shooting?