On a Friday evening, September 2, 2016, in Des Moines, Iowa, 61-year-old Barbara Lee Ann Perry, a Black/African American female, found herself in the wrong place at the most tragic of times. While in the parking lot of a Family Dollar store, she was struck by a stray bullet, an innocent victim caught in the crossfire of a shooting. The grandmother of 24 sustained a gunshot wound to the head and was rushed to a local hospital.
Despite medical efforts, she succumbed to her injuries the following day.
The random and senseless nature of her death sent shockwaves through the community. Barbara was remembered as a loving mother and grandmother. Her death was a profound loss to her family, who were left to grapple with the sudden and violent end to her life.
In the wake of the shooting, the Des Moines Police Department launched a homicide investigation. However, the case proved to be challenging from the outset. Despite appeals to the public for information, details about the shooter or shooters and the events that led to the fatal gunfire remained scarce. As time passed with no arrests made, the investigation into Barbara Lee Ann Perry's death grew cold.
To this day, her case is listed among the unsolved homicides in Iowa. No suspects have been publicly identified, and no arrests have been made in connection with her death. The search for justice for Barbara and her family continues, her story a somber reminder of the devastating impact of gun violence on innocent lives.
