Incoming Penn State track and field athlete Kristian Marche was shot and killed in North Philadelphia on Monday, according to the Philadelphia Police Department. A police spokesperson said Marche's death is still under investigation and there are no known suspects. Marche was set to arrive at Penn State for the 2018-19 school year. He placed second in the Pennsylvania high school state meet's 100-meter dash in 2017, third in 2016 and fourth this past spring. "I feel like he was the fastest kid in the state," Imhotep Institute Charter High School football coach Nick Lincoln told PennLive. Marche also starred on the football team as a running back. After police responded to gunfire and found a wounded Marche late Monday, he was taken Albert Einstein Medical Center – where he was eventually pronounced dead at 6:20 p.m. on Tuesday.<doc-sep>Follow CBSPHILLY Facebook | Twitter PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — Friends and coaches are mourning the death of 18-year-old Kristian Marche, a star track and field athlete, who was gunned down just a day before heading to the Pennsylvania State University on a scholarship. “He was a good kid, on his way to a great education and future and someone in an act of cowardice just cuts him down,” said Jack Duncan, who mentored Marche as part of the organization Focused Athletics. The organization helps inner-city student athletes with academics, athletics, and professional development. Philadelphia police say just after 9:30 p.m. Monday, a gunman shot Marche in the head in the teen’s back driveway on the 1800 block of East Pastorius Street in West Oak Lane. A “natural” at sports, #KristianMarche was a track star, football player, boxer. He scored a 1060 on the SAT, higher than all of his peers in Focused Athletics. That’s an org that mentors inner city student athletes. If you have info on his killer, call @PhillyPolice. pic.twitter.com/4PeuR41ZgU — Anita Oh (@anita_oh) August 16, 2018 Homicide Lt. Norman Davenport says so far, investigators have no suspects, no motive, and no murder weapon. “It is more than just thoughts and prayers needed at this time. We need information, we need evidence, we need witnesses to come forward,” Davenport said. The Imhotep Charter graduate made a name for himself both on the track and on the football field, says Duncan. “He did everything right and for it to end up like this is really frustrating and kind of heartbreaking,” he said. The teen even spent a day shadowing a dentist at the University of Pennsylvania dental school. “We always ask the kids ‘what do you want to be if you could be anything’ and he said, ‘I want to be a dentist,’” he said. Now, Marche’s loved ones say gun violence has to stop. “It’s disgusting. We’re better than this as people, as human beings — it’s got to end,” said Duncan. Marche scored a 1060 on the SAT, the highest in his class of Focused Athletics peers. The organization is launching the Kristian Marche scholarship fund for the highest scoring SAT student to keep his memory alive. If you have any information on this homicide, call Philadelphia police at 215-686-TIPS.<doc-sep>
An 18-year-old high school track and field star and future Penn State athlete was identified as the man shot and killed in North Philadelphia on Monday night, according to PennLive. Kristian Marche, of Imhotep Institute Charter High School, was set to report to Penn State this week as one of the Nittany Lions' 35 incoming track athletes, as Brian Linder reported. A second-place finisher at the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association state meet in 2017, he "was shot to death on the 1800 Block of East Pastorious Street ... at 9:37 Monday night," as told by the Philadelphia Police Department. Marche's death remains "under investigation" by police, according to Linder. Imhotep, Penn State and countless friends and family are mourning the loss of not only "a great young man," as high school assistant Cyril Woodland told Linder, but a promising track and field prospect. "I feel like he was the fastest kid in the state," Imhotep head football coach Nick Lincoln told Linder, who noted that Marche was regularly headlining track meets when he wasn't on the football field: His second-place finish in the 100 two years ago wasn't the only strong showing for the speedster. He was third in the state in the 100 in 2016, and finished fourth at the state meet earlier this year. He finished fourth in the 60 at the 2017 indoor state championships and was fifth in 2016. Marche passed away at Albert Einsten Medical Center on Tuesday night, according to the Philadelphia Daily News.