In the city of Milwaukee, a young voice that had eloquently spoken out against the very violence that would claim her life was silenced on the evening of November 19, 2018. Sandra Parks, a 13-year-old African American girl, was in her bedroom when a stray bullet pierced through her window, striking and killing her. The tragedy was compounded by the bitter irony that just two years prior, Sandra had won an award for an essay she wrote about the "senseless gun violence" that plagued her
community. In her writing, she had lamented the constant chaos and the loss of young lives, a fate that would tragically become her own.
The bullet that ended Sandra's life was not intended for her. Authorities later revealed that Isaac Barnes was firing at a different target when one of the bullets entered Sandra's home. Her mother, Bernice Parks, heard the gunshots and then her daughter's cry, "I'm shot! I'm shot!" She found her daughter bleeding on the floor. Sandra's death sent ripples of grief and outrage through the city, highlighting the pervasive and indiscriminate nature of gun violence. She was remembered by her family as a happy and bright girl who loved to write and had dreams of going to college.
In the aftermath of the shooting, two men were arrested. Isaac D. Barnes, then 26, was charged with first-degree reckless homicide, among other offenses. His accomplice, Untrell Oden, then 27, faced charges related to illegally possessing a firearm. Barnes ultimately pleaded guilty to first-degree reckless homicide and was sentenced to 50 years in prison. During his sentencing, he apologized to Sandra's family, stating that she was not the intended target. Untrell Oden, who helped hide the gun used in the shooting, also pleaded guilty to a firearm possession charge and was sentenced to prison.
