On a warm Sunday evening in Wichita, Kansas, 17-year-old Valencio Hill was enjoying time with his family on their front porch. An aspiring high school basketball player, the male teenager's life was cut tragically short on September 13, 2020, when he was struck by gunfire. Emergency services were called to the scene, and Valencio was rushed to a nearby hospital, but he ultimately succumbed to his injuries.
In the days that followed, the Wichita Police Department launched a homicide
investigation into the death of the beloved student and athlete. Detectives working the case soon came to believe that Valencio was not the intended victim of the shooting. It is thought that another individual who was on the porch with Valencio at the time was the actual target of the assailant or assailants. Despite the presence of numerous witnesses at the time of the shooting, the investigation was met with a wall of silence. The reluctance of witnesses to come forward with information hampered the police department's efforts to identify a suspect and make an arrest.
The case of Valencio Hill's murder has since grown cold, but it has not been forgotten. Law enforcement officials continue to appeal to the public for any information that might lead to a breakthrough in the investigation. They have particularly urged the person believed to be the intended target to come forward and provide details that could bring justice to Valencio and his grieving family. To date, no arrests have been made, and no suspects have been publicly named in connection with the shooting. The community continues to mourn the loss of a promising young life taken too soon.
