In the early evening of June 26, 2018, the life of 18-year-old Norman Cushinberry was cut short by gunfire on a street in Hutchinson, Kansas. A Black/African American male, Norman was found unresponsive with a gunshot wound in the 500 block of North Washington. Despite efforts to save him, he was pronounced dead at the scene. An autopsy later confirmed that he died from multiple gunshot wounds.
The events leading to Cushinberry's death began to unfold as a drug deal.
Curtis Garcia had arranged to sell a quarter-pound of marijuana. When he arrived for the transaction, Cushinberry attempted to pay with counterfeit $100 bills, prompting Garcia to leave. However, he was convinced to return after receiving a text message from Tristan J. Delaney. It was upon Garcia's return that the fatal shooting occurred. Another 18-year-old man was also shot and injured during the incident.
Following the shooting, an investigation led Hutchinson police to a residence in the 1900 block of North Walnut, where they arrested 26-year-old Curtis W. Bemis Garcia. He was taken into custody on suspicion of first-degree murder. Tristan J. Delaney was also charged in connection with the crime, initially with felony murder. Garcia, the shooter, was ultimately sentenced to 11 years in prison. Delaney later entered a plea to a charge of second-degree murder and received a four-year prison sentence, which was later appealed by the state.
