In the early morning hours of August 17, 2020, a dispute inside a vehicle driving through a southeast Wichita neighborhood turned deadly, claiming the life of 27-year-old Miguel Tapia. The Hispanic male was behind the wheel of a Nissan Pathfinder, accompanied by Donovan Harrington and two young women, when an argument broke out. The disagreement escalated, and Harrington, seated in the backseat, produced a firearm and shot Tapia.
The sound of gunfire shattered the morning quiet in the
600 block of South Armour Drive. After the shooting, the Pathfinder came to a stop. Harrington and the two female passengers, aged 19 and 20, fled from the vehicle, leaving Tapia grievously wounded. They managed to flag down a passing teal Ford F-150, whose driver was unaware of the violent act that had just transpired, and received a ride to a nearby hotel. First responders found Tapia lying on the ground outside the SUV with multiple gunshot wounds. He was rushed to a local hospital but succumbed to his injuries later that day.
The Wichita Police Department launched an immediate investigation, treating the shooting as a targeted incident. They quickly identified Harrington as the suspect and sought public assistance in locating the teal pickup truck that had unknowingly aided in the suspect's flight. The day after the fatal shooting, authorities located and arrested Donovan Michael Harrington during a traffic stop. At the time of the incident, Harrington, then 25, was on parole for previous convictions.
Harrington was initially charged with second-degree intentional murder and criminal possession of a weapon by a convicted felon. In January 2022, a jury convicted him of the lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter, along with two counts of criminal possession of a weapon. In March of that year, a judge sentenced Harrington to just over 20 years in prison for his role in the death of Miguel Tapia, bringing a close to the case that began with a fatal argument on a Wichita street.
