In the late hours of a Sunday evening in Pittsburgh's Perry South neighborhood, the life of a young mother was tragically cut short. On August 6, 2017, Nicole Dailey, a 26-year-old female, was returning home with her infant daughter. As she was getting her 7-month-old, Nia, out of the car near the intersection of Strauss and North Charles streets, gunfire erupted. Struck in the neck and arms, Nicole fled with her baby, collapsing in a nearby vacant lot across the street from her home.
When police arrived around 11:15 p.m., they found her in the grassy area. A compassionate bystander had already scooped up the unharmed child. Nicole was rushed to a hospital, but she succumbed to her multiple gunshot wounds.
Nicole was known for her radiant smile and active involvement in her community and her church, Destiny of Faith. Friends and family described her as bubbly, happy, and the glue that held their family together. Her sudden and violent death left her loved ones and the community in shock and searching for answers. The tragedy was compounded by the fact that Nicole's older brother had also been a victim of homicide in the same neighborhood years earlier, in 1993. In the months and years that followed her death, family and friends have held vigils and balloon releases, pleading for anyone with information to come forward.
Despite their pleas and ongoing police work, the case has remained unsolved. Investigators have lamented the reluctance of witnesses to cooperate, which has significantly hampered their efforts to identify a suspect or a motive for the shooting. While police have stated that the case is not cold, no arrests have been made, and no suspects have been publicly named. The lack of progress has been a source of immense frustration and pain for Nicole's family, who continue to seek justice for her and to keep her memory alive. Her daughter, who was miraculously unharmed in the attack, is now being raised by relatives, a constant reminder of the life that was so senselessly taken.
