In the winter of 2015, the holiday season in Detroit, Michigan, was tragically marred by violence that claimed the life of a young girl. Seven-year-old Chanell Berry was inside her family's home on the city's west side on the evening of December 27th, when gunfire erupted from outside. The shots tore through the house, striking Chanell.
Caught in the indiscriminate spray of bullets, Chanell was fatally wounded.
At the time of the shooting, she and her eight-year-old sister were enjoying their Christmas presents. The older sister was also struck by the gunfire and was left in critical condition, fighting for her life in the aftermath of the senseless act. The community was left in shock and mourning over the loss of a child and the brutal violation of a family's home.
In the immediate wake of the shooting, the Detroit Police Department launched an intensive investigation. Their efforts quickly led to two individuals being taken into custody in connection with the fatal shooting. A woman was described as a person of interest, and a man was identified as a possible suspect in the death of Chanell Berry. However, the initial promise of a swift resolution to the case began to fade.
By the beginning of January 2016, both the woman who had been considered a person of interest and the man who was viewed as a possible suspect were released from police custody. Since their release, there have been no public announcements of any new suspects or arrests in the case. The investigation into who fired the shots that ended Chanell Berry's life and grievously wounded her sister has seemingly stalled, leaving a grieving family and a concerned community without answers or a sense of justice for the young victim.
