In what was supposed to be a teenage fistfight, 16-year-old Alana Tello, a Hispanic female, was tragically shot and killed in Memphis, Tennessee. The incident unfolded on November 1, 2016, at Zodiac Park, where a crowd of teenagers had gathered to witness a pre-arranged altercation between two groups of girls.
The planned fight took a fatal turn when individuals with bandanas covering their faces emerged and began firing into the crowd of onlookers.
Alana Tello was struck by the gunfire and died at the scene, the sole fatality in an event that left five other teenagers wounded. The senseless act of violence sent shockwaves through the community and left a family grieving the sudden and violent loss of a young life.
The investigation into the shooting led Memphis police to 17-year-old Marcus Malone. He was arrested and subsequently charged with a litany of offenses, including second-degree murder, ten counts of attempted second-degree murder, and multiple firearm charges. Despite his family's assertions that he was a good student, Malone was accused of being one of the shooters who indiscriminately fired into the group of teens.
In November 2019, a jury found Marcus Malone guilty on 26 charges, including the second-degree murder of Alana Tello. The trial brought to light the chaotic and tragic events of that day in Zodiac Park. In January 2020, Malone was sentenced to 133 years in prison for his role in the shooting that ended Alana Tello's life and injured several others.
