On the evening of January 8, 2022, in Birmingham, Alabama, 16-year-old Black / African American Yasmine Wright was excitedly talking with her mother as they drove home. The tenth-grader at Wenonah High School had just finished her shift at the Birmingham Zoo and was looking forward to her 17th birthday, which was just a week away. In a tragic turn of events, their conversation was cut short by the sound of gunfire.
Yasmine was struck by a stray bullet, an innocent victim in a shooting that also claimed the life of 49-year-old Ed Franklin Harris.
Preliminary investigations by the Birmingham Police Department suggested that Harris was the intended target. It is believed that after Harris laid down his motorcycle on a Birmingham street, the suspect or suspects exited their vehicle and opened fire on him. During this exchange, the car carrying Yasmine and her mother was caught in the crossfire, and Yasmine was fatally wounded. She was transported to UAB Hospital where she was pronounced deceased.
The community was left heartbroken and outraged by the senseless death of the ambitious young woman who was a beloved member of the zoo's team and a talented saxophone player in her high school band. In the wake of the tragedy, grief counselors were made available at Wenonah High School to support students and faculty. Birmingham's mayor, Randall Woodfin, publicly expressed his heartbreak and anger over the loss of a young life with so much potential.
Despite the profound impact of her death, the investigation into Yasmine Wright's murder has remained ongoing. Authorities have indicated that they were searching for at least two suspects and have described a person of interest as a tall, slender Black male seen leaving a black Lexus armed with a rifle. While a person of interest was interviewed, no charges have been filed, and the killer or killers remain at large. In an effort to keep her memory alive and support other students, Yasmine's family established the annual "Watch Me Soar" scholarship, awarded to a deserving senior in the Wenonah High School band. The case remains under investigation, and authorities continue to ask for anyone with information to come forward.
