On the evening of August 20, 2021, Christian Leonel Cortes Alfaro, a 22-year-old male, was fatally wounded in his residence in Hays, Kansas. That night, officers from the Hays Police Department and deputies from the Ellis County Sheriff's Office were dispatched to a home in the 4500 block of Larned Circle following a report of a shooting. Upon their arrival, they discovered Cortes Alfaro suffering from a gunshot wound. He was quickly transported to Hays Medical Center, where he ultimately succumbed to his injuries.
At the time of the incident, Christian was at home with his two roommates. An investigation into the shooting determined that one of his roommates, Brian Spencer Finger, also 22, was handling a firearm in the front room of the house. Finger was reportedly preparing to make repairs to the weapon when it accidentally discharged, striking Cortes Alfaro in the head. Following the investigation by Hays Police detectives and the Kansas Bureau of Investigations, Brian Spencer Finger was arrested and charged with second-degree murder.
Christian Leonel Cortes Alfaro was a student at Fort Hays State University, majoring in Biology with aspirations of a career in medical research. Originally from Olathe, Kansas, he was a member of the American Medical Student Association Premedical Club and was on the Dean's Honor Roll. In March 2023, Brian Finger was sentenced in Ellis County District Court after a plea agreement. He received a total of 99 months in prison for involuntary manslaughter and aggravated assault in connection with Cortes Alfaro's death, as well as for a separate aggravated assault charge. During the sentencing, testimony revealed a history of reckless firearm use by Finger, and Christian's parents gave emotional statements about the loss of their only child.
