On the night of May 3, 2021, Fernando Recio, an 18-year-old Hispanic male, told his family he was going to a car wash in Wichita, Kansas. Shortly before midnight, police received multiple calls reporting a shooting at the Q-Gold Car Wash at 2121 S. Meridian. Arriving officers found Fernando Recio in his vehicle, still alive but suffering from a single gunshot wound to the neck.
Emergency medical services transported Recio to a local hospital in critical condition.
Despite the efforts of medical staff, he succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced deceased. Investigators with the Wichita Police Department determined that the shooting was not a random act. At the time, police appealed to the public for any information that could lead to the identity of a suspect or suspects.
In the days following the shooting, no arrests were made, and no suspects were publicly identified. The investigation into the death of Fernando Recio remains open. His case is now listed as a homicide with the Wichita Police Department's Cold Case Unit. Authorities continue to seek information from the community to bring resolution to the case, as witnesses were reportedly uncooperative at the time of the incident.
