Fifteen-year-old Marion Wheaton was remembered by friends and family as a smart, goofy, and loyal student at Wichita’s West High School. On the evening of November 6, 2019, Marion went with a 15-year-old friend and a 16-year-old friend to McAdams Park in Wichita to meet another group of teens for a planned confrontation that had been escalating on social media.

Around 6:00 p.m. a dark-colored SUV pulled up in the 1400 block of North Ohio. A 15-year-old and an older teen, identified as 18-year-old Malick Garrett, exited the vehicle and Garrett fired a handgun multiple times, striking Marion once in the upper body. Marion was taken to a hospital in critical condition and did not survive. Investigators said the shooting stemmed from the prearranged conflict, noted that some participants were documented gang members, and recovered multiple handguns. The day after the shooting, police arrested Garrett in connection with Marion’s death.

If anyone was at McAdams Park that evening or has information about the lead-up to the confrontation, please come forward.