Christian Talib Willis, a 21-year-old Black man from Wichita, was fatally shot in Lawrence, Kansas, on the evening of September 8, 2021. The shooting occurred around 7:15 p.m. in the 1500 block of Kentucky Street, near the University of Kansas campus; Willis was pronounced dead after officers arrived. Witnesses heard multiple shots that some initially thought were fireworks, and one reported seeing a black car leaving the parking lot as the smell of gunpowder lingered.

Investigators identified and arrested two suspects from Lawrence in the weeks after the killing. Court filings state the shooting happened during a drug deal and describe a claim that Willis pulled a gun, prompting one of the defendants to fire in defense of the other. If anyone knew Christian, was in that area that evening, or has information about the events on Kentucky Street, please come forward.