She was an artist who loved to bake, craft, sew. A generous, selfless girl who cared for others and enjoyed giving gifts. She was one of four adopted children in the family and was homeschooled with three of her six siblings.

She “was unrelenting joy and exuberance,” reads an online testimonial by her family. “A loving and tender young woman who was always concerned about others’ well-being. A sweet hearted social butterfly who enjoyed good jokes and teasing.”

Lia Lin Collier, 15, and her three siblings were fatally shot by their mother in a murder-suicide on Oct. 15, 2018, at their home in Columbia, Tennessee.

She spent her days painting watercolors. She would often sing – in the shower, in the car, for her family. She loved her siblings, her nephews, the people that surrounded her. She was always there for them:  She hugged when they cried, she talked when they couldn’t, she smiled when until they would laugh. She loved helping others.

Peyton Nicole Hurt, 15, was shot at a house party by her ex-boyfriend in Ledbetter, Kentucky on June 9, 2018. She was kept on life support long enough to donate her organs.

Some called her Eliza. She adored singing and playing the violin. An artist, she sketched portraits and memories, her brother said.

“She never cared what anyone thought of her,” said family friend Elsa Palmer-Oden. “She wasn't [worried] about being ‘popular.’ She didn't put up with being criticized for anything. A strong girl!” Her strength helped her persevere through her mother’s death five years earlier.

On December 10, 2018, Beverly McBride, 17, was shot in the head and killed while sitting on the couch in her home in Henderson County, Texas. Her dad, whose purple hair matched her own, was also killed.

A smooth voice. Deep brown eyes. His smile, unique with gap teeth, shined wide.

He started off his YouTube videos with a bombastic, “What’s up Willis Fam!” In his channel’s bio, he promised that he would “entertain and make people happy when they're sad.” In one video, he said, “I’m basically gonna be going a lot of places.”

His mother’s boyfriend, however, had other plans.

Deputies say he shot and killed Ricky Ryon Willis, 10, and his mother in Tampa, Florida, on Oct. 21, 2018, during an argument over changing the television channel. Ryon’s “America’s Got Talent” audition was scheduled for December.

He adored his skateboard and bike; he rode them all the time. He dreamed of being a sketch artist and practiced frequently.

He was described as “kind, funny and ‘the man.’”  His family saw him finally growing out of his mischievous stage, but they never stopped calling him Jr.

James J. Springer III, 12, was shot in the stomach and killed at 9:30 p.m. on Oct. 10, 2018, outside his home in Syracuse, New York. While his classmates slept in their beds, James was rushed to Upstate University Hospital, where he passed away in an unfamiliar room.

His short, brown hair was practical and out of his face as he worked in the summer to mow lawns. Beneath the sweat, he was an artist consumed by the need to draw, and a drummer for his high school band.

He loved his family – including his six siblings – his city, and his friends. His friends loved him too: one attempted CPR while waiting for an ambulance to arrive after a gun accidentally discharged at a friend’s home.

Zachary Mulford, 15, died Dec. 8, 2018 of a gunshot wound to his chest in his beloved city of New Castle, Pennsylvania.

She was an esthetician who’d just started a beauty business.

But an ugly relationship wouldn’t let go. Between 2011 and October 2018, her ex-boyfriend was arrested 15 times. He bit her and held her at gunpoint. He was arrested and ordered to receive counseling. He allegedly stole her phone and set her hair on fire; she got a protective order. On social media, she cried out: “Domestic violence is real.”

Lashonda Sharreice Childs, 17, was with a new boyfriend on Oct. 2, 2018 in Dayton, Ohio, when she was shot by her ex-boyfriend. She was taken to Grandview Medical Center, where she died the next day.

On the morning of Valentine’s Day, he walked into school with flowers and a plan for a date with his girlfriend.

He was a supportive brother, thoughtful friend and beloved son, known for his loyalty. He was a brilliant writer, authoring beautiful love poems and thought-provoking short stories. He was proud of his Venezuelan heritage, his skills on the basketball court, and his diverse taste in music.

Joaquin Oliver, 17, was shot and killed on Feb. 14, 2018, in a hallway outside his creative writing class at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. He drew his last breath in the place where he found his friends, his love and his education.

He was a funny, artistically talented, outgoing, friendly man who enjoyed spending time with his 2-year-old son.

He enjoyed playing basketball and was a talented graffiti artist who was deeply loved by his family. “Finding my little cousin laid out in the grass – it really, it really, hurt me,” a family member said. “He was a good kid.”

On May 22, 2018, LaMar De’Shawn Foster, 18, was shot in what the police considered a domestic violence case. No one was charged with his death.

He was an artist who “loved to laugh,” his mom said.

In his mother’s eyes, street life “snatched his innocence,” and a two-month sentence in juvenile detention didn’t help. But he dreamed of art school. He sketched Naruto characters on whatever spare paper he could find. “He was a nerd,” his mom said, “trying to act like a gangster.”

On February 21, 2018, Cedric Leonard Small, 16, was shot and killed during an alleged burglary in Killeen, Texas. His sketches were displayed at his funeral.