On a Thursday evening, November 18, 2021, 13-year-old Maliyah Turner, a female student at Sandtown Winchester Achievement Academy, was leaving band practice at the Lillian S. Jones Recreation Center on North Stricker Street in Baltimore, Maryland. In a sudden act of violence, she was fatally shot. The young girl, who was the youngest of eleven siblings, was described by her mother as a 'good, happy kid' who would 'give you the shirt off her back'.
A report on child fatalities in Baltimore revealed that 90% of the children who died in the city over a five-year period were children of color.
In the years following the tragic event, Maliyah's family has been left without answers. Despite their repeated pleas for justice and communication from city officials, they have reported receiving no significant updates on the investigation into her murder. Her mother, Michelle Smith, has expressed the profound loss and the difficulty of celebrating holidays while her daughter's killer remains at large. The family's frustration and pain are compounded by the fact that no arrests have been made in the case.
The case of Maliyah Turner remains an open and active investigation, according to Baltimore City police. City officials, including Mayor Brandon Scott, have stated they are committed to closing the case and have urged anyone with information to come forward. A reward has been offered by Metro Crime Stoppers for any information that leads to an arrest and charges in the shooting death of the teenager. The community and her family continue to hope for a breakthrough that will bring a measure of peace and closure.
