Azuri Jones-Willis was 16 when she was shot and killed while riding in the back seat of a white Honda on the afternoon of September 23, 2021. A brief confrontation in a parking lot near 14th and North Terrace spilled into the surrounding streets near Wichita State University. As the Honda pulled away, three teenage boys in a red Kia—later determined to be stolen—chased the car. Near 15th and Kenmar, one of the boys fired multiple rounds into the Honda, and Azuri was struck. Her friends drove her straight to a local hospital, where she died of her injuries.

Police found the abandoned Kia near Vesta and Fountain and detained three youths after a short foot pursuit. That same day Wichita police announced arrests of two 17-year-olds and a 16-year-old on suspicion of first-degree murder and criminal discharge of a firearm into an occupied vehicle; one 17-year-old was also held on a felon-in-possession charge. Investigators recovered a handgun and said the shooting was not random, involving people who knew one another. Later court activity identified one of the teens as Kayden Wilson and produced convictions tied to Azuri’s death.

Azuri’s death had a deep impact on Wichita’s schools and neighborhoods, where classmates and community members remembered her and the sudden violence that ended her life. If anyone has information about the events that afternoon or knew Azuri, please share what might help investigators.