OLATHE, Kan. — Four juveniles are currently in custody in connection to an early Saturday shooting at Black Bob Park that left a 19-year-old dead.
Olathe police said that all involved parties, regarding the deadly shooting, have been contacted.
The shooting was reported just before 4 a.m. Saturday, where officers located the victim, identified as Marco Cardino of Smithville, Missouri, who had multiple gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Shay Weber, a longtime friend of Cardino’s family, said the 19-year-old was a kind, sweet soul who was hanging out with the wrong people. Weber said his mother is heartbroken and doesn’t know how to live without her son.
“Her heart is just totally broken, and her main concern is that no other mother should ever have to feel what she’s feeling,” Weber said.
Still, Weber said Cardino’s mother has a message for other boys and young men: Make the right choices and surround yourself with good people.
“Because as sweet as Marco is or was … he was going with the wrong crowd — and he died,” she said. “And the young people die because they’re in the wrong crowd, and they can choose not to do that.”
The case remains under investigation. Anyone with information is asked to call the Olathe Police Department at (913) 971-6363 or the TIPS Hotline at (816) 4748477.