On the night of April 22, 2023, a young man named Dan Likiko, aged 21, was fatally shot in Florence, Kentucky. The incident unfolded around 9:30 p.m. on Winthrop Circle, where police responded to reports of a fight and shots being fired. Upon their arrival, officers discovered Likiko in the driver's seat of his car with several gunshot wounds. Emergency medical services were called to the scene, but he was pronounced dead at 9:43 p.m.
The investigation into the shooting revealed that
Likiko had been involved in a physical altercation with some individuals on Wintergreen Court shortly before the shots were fired. Family members who lived nearby heard the sirens, unaware at first that they were for their loved one. Likiko's family had moved to the United States from the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2015 in search of better opportunities. He was a former soccer standout in Boone County and was pursuing an education in computer technology. His brother described him as a 'beautiful soul' and a creative person.
Following the incident, authorities located and detained a suspect, 38-year-old Wayne Haggard, who was found in possession of a pistol. Haggard reportedly admitted to shooting Likiko and was subsequently arrested and charged with one count of murder. He was taken to the Boone County Detention Center.
The death of Dan Likiko deeply affected the local community, particularly the Congolese community of Northern Kentucky. Hundreds of people gathered to march from the Boone County Public Library to the Boone County Justice Center to protest his death and call for justice. During a court appearance for Haggard, where his case was handed over to a grand jury, Likiko's family was present. The community continues to mourn the loss of a young life cut short.
