Montel Demond Parks, a 38-year-old Black man from Wichita, Kansas, was the victim of a targeted shooting on May 12, 2026, at the Emery Gardens Apartments in the southern part of the city. Parks, affectionately known to family and friends as "Tail," was sitting inside his Toyota minivan when a gunman approached and shot him in the neck. Although the shooting occurred on May 12, Parks died from his injuries the following morning, May 13, 2026, at Ascension Via Christi Hospital St. Francis.
His death devastated a family that had been looking forward to celebrating an important milestone in his life later that month.
The violence unfolded shortly after 6:30 p.m. at the apartment complex located at 4244 South Hydraulic Avenue, southeast of the intersection of MacArthur Road and Hydraulic Avenue. Wichita police officers responding to reports of gunfire discovered Parks seated behind the steering wheel of his vehicle with a serious gunshot wound to his upper body. Officers immediately began lifesaving efforts while awaiting the arrival of Sedgwick County Emergency Medical Services. Paramedics transported him to the hospital in extremely critical condition, where surgeons attempted to save his life. Despite their efforts, Parks succumbed to his injuries the following morning.
Investigators quickly determined that the shooting had not been a random act of violence. Wichita Police Chief Joe Sullivan described the attack as deliberate and particularly disturbing because Parks had been seated in his vehicle, unable to defend himself. Children were reportedly playing outside the apartment complex around the time of the shooting, adding to concerns about the danger posed to other residents. Sullivan announced that investigators had a strong lead regarding the suspected gunman and were committing extensive resources to identifying and apprehending the person responsible.
As detectives examined surveillance recordings and interviewed witnesses, they uncovered evidence suggesting that the shooting followed an earlier confrontation involving Parks and a man identified as Teyante O. Dagans. According to an affidavit later unsealed in Sedgwick County District Court, Parks' spouse told investigators that Dagans had been speaking with their 16-year-old daughter earlier on May 12. Parks had reportedly confronted Dagans and instructed him to stop talking to the teenager. Investigators subsequently focused on this encounter while reconstructing the events preceding the shooting.
Surveillance footage reviewed by police reportedly showed a man with dreadlocks, believed to be Dagans, speaking with Parks shortly before 5 p.m. as Parks was preparing to enter his minivan. According to the affidavit, the man appeared to be holding a handgun in his right hand during the conversation. The recording allegedly showed him placing the weapon into the front of his pants before Parks drove away. Investigators considered the footage significant because it appeared to document an encounter between Parks and the suspected gunman approximately 90 minutes before the shooting.
Additional surveillance footage reportedly captured the events immediately surrounding the fatal attack. Shortly after 6:30 p.m., a man investigators identified as Dagans allegedly emerged from behind a row of garages at the apartment complex and approached Parks' minivan, which had recently returned to the parking area. The individual walked toward the driver's side of the vehicle and fired a single shot before fleeing the property in a Chevrolet Impala. Investigators believed the weapon used in the shooting was a 9mm handgun. The surveillance evidence supported the police department's assessment that Parks had been specifically targeted rather than becoming the victim of an indiscriminate shooting.
The investigation progressed rapidly with the assistance of surveillance technology, community members, and patrol officers. Detectives used Flock license plate recognition cameras near the apartment complex to identify a Chevrolet Impala believed to have been connected to the suspect. Investigators distributed information about the vehicle and suspected gunman through an internal police bulletin, allowing officers throughout Wichita to watch for the vehicle.
On the morning of May 13, 2026, patrol officers located the Chevrolet Impala at a QuikTrip convenience store at 6011 West Central Avenue, near Interstate 235. After recognizing the vehicle from the investigative bulletin, officers approached and arrested Dagans as he exited the store. The arrest occurred less than a day after the shooting. Investigators subsequently searched the Impala, which they believed Dagans had been using as a residence, and recovered a loaded. 380-caliber handgun and ammunition. The recovered firearm was a different caliber from the 9mm weapon investigators believed had been used in the shooting, and publicly reported information did not establish that the recovered handgun was the murder weapon.
Following his arrest, Dagans was transported for questioning and booked into the Sedgwick County Jail. Police initially sought charges of first-degree murder, criminal discharge of a firearm into an occupied vehicle, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The case was subsequently forwarded to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's Office for prosecution.
Court records reported in June 2026 identified Dagans as having been formally charged on May 18 with murder and four additional offenses related to the incident. His bond was set at $1 million. On June 5, a motion seeking modification of the bond amount was denied, leaving the original amount in place. Reports also revealed that Dagans had previously been sentenced to probation in connection with a 2018 aggravated assault with a deadly weapon case in Shawnee County. As of the June reporting, he remained incarcerated at the Sedgwick County Jail, represented by attorney Patrick Mitchell. No subsequent conviction, sentencing, or final resolution of the murder prosecution could be confirmed from available published reports. Dagans is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
Beyond the investigation and criminal proceedings, Parks' death represented the loss of a husband, father, brother, and hardworking member of the Wichita community. Born on October 31, 1987, he graduated from Wichita South High School in 2006 and was remembered by loved ones as an ambitious individual determined to provide a better future for his family. He worked at Little Caesars and Wendy's while pursuing a Master of Science degree through online studies. He also operated his own business, King's Remodeling, and was working toward building a beautiful home for his family.
Parks enjoyed singing, cutting hair, playing basketball, working on cars, cooking, and spending time with those closest to him. His family described someone who loved making people laugh and had a natural ability to brighten the atmosphere wherever he went. Beyond his personal and professional ambitions, he hoped to eventually establish a homeless shelter, reflecting his desire to help individuals who were struggling and needed somewhere safe to turn.
The timing of his death made the tragedy especially painful. Parks and his wife had been looking forward to a church wedding ceremony scheduled for May 26, 2026, an occasion intended to celebrate their marriage and their commitment to one another. Instead, May 26 became the date of his visitation, followed by a celebration of his life on May 27 at DeVorss Flanagan-Hunt Mortuary in Wichita. The ceremony that was meant to mark another joyful chapter in his family's life was replaced by funeral arrangements and the grief of an unexpected loss.
Parks left behind his wife, daughter, parents, siblings, including his twin brother, and numerous relatives and friends. His family remembered his determination, generosity, laughter, and devotion to those he loved. In his obituary, loved ones shared a message he had left encouraging them to remember his laughter and singing, remain strong, and come together rather than grow apart.
The death of Montel Parks stands as a devastating example of how a confrontation can escalate into irreversible violence. What investigators described as an apparent dispute involving a father's efforts to protect his teenage daughter ended with a fatal shooting, leaving a family without someone who had been working toward a promising future. Although authorities moved quickly to identify a suspect and initiate criminal proceedings, the loss remains permanent for those who knew Parks. His loved ones continue to carry the memories of a man whose ambitions, compassion, and dedication to family extended far beyond the circumstances of his death.
