She probably thought she was safe. Her mother, who left her in the car to pick up her brother, probably thought so too.

Now, she won’t get to pose for pictures wearing her pigtails, making funny faces, blowing kisses or flashing the peace sign. This excellent student won’t get to play with classmates anymore. Her family described her as “beautiful, smart and caring.” Her father says he’ll miss her saying, “I love you.”

Saniyah Monee Nicholson was killed during a drive-by shooting on June 20, 2018, in Cleveland, Ohio. She was 9 years old.

He was an avid conversationalist, never refusing a chat with anyone. Those who had the pleasure of knowing him were aware of his potential.

Teachers loved him. “I knew from the first day of school you would have an impact on my life,” said Kendra Phipps, an employee at Morgantown Middle School, which he attended. Even the school nurse there expressed fond memories of him.

On Feb. 23, 2018, Tyrese A. Jones, 13, picked up a gun in his McComb, Mississippi,  home. An accidental gunshot ended his life.  

He lived in the second-most violent big city in America.

Statistically, 1 out of 49 people in Detroit will become a victim of a violent crime. African-American males have a higher chance of dying in the streets of the Motor City than any other race or gender group.

On Nov. 13, 2018, two teenage males were walking on East Outer Drive when shots were fired by a suspect walking past them. One of the victims, age 18, whose name was not released by the police, died at the scene.

Friends called him “a kind and gentle young heart.” His brother called him Lil Bird.

He had college aspirations and loved playing football. He dreamed of turning his passion for sports into a career as an athletic trainer when he graduated from Ben Lomond High School. He wanted to buy a Ford Mustang.

Kameron Johnson, 18, of Ogden, Utah, was home sick from school when he and his older brother were shot in their home on West Lake Street. While his brother remains in critical condition, Kameron died from his injuries on Feb. 11, 2019.

While his first job was at the Wet Wet Paint Shop, he always dreamed of working among the consoles, collectables, and video games at Gamestop.

While friends knew him as cool and laid back, he was also extremely protective of his family. He was used to hearing arguments between his mother and his stepfather and often tried to protect his mother.

On Sept. 15, 2018, Kameron Porter’s mother and stepfather’s argument escalated to fatal domestic violence in Memphis, Tennessee. Porter, 18, was shot in the torso and killed by his stepfather with a 9mm pistol after an argument about his mother’s car.

He had an innocent smile that illuminated his rosy cheeks. His blond hair cascaded playfully over his forehead.

He persevered through multiple open heart surgeries, yet still “was a hugger and always looking to dance.” He loved to play with his neighbors, and he did so on that warm, sunny, July day. His toys are still in the front yard, right next to the kiddie pool with a slide.  

Jacob Matthew Edwards, 6, was shot and killed on July 9, 2018, in his home in Wilmington, Delaware. His father also killed his brother, sister and mother, then himself.

He had just started barber school and was already cutting hair on the side to make extra money.

He never got the chance to graduate. Corey Donald II, 17, was shot repeatedly and killed Dec. 5, 2018, in a car in the Edgewood Manor neighborhood in northwest Jacksonville, Florida. The weekend after his death, family and friends flooded the pews of his local church, saying goodbye to him and his big dreams.

He fought all his life: Born at 1 pound 10 ounces, not expected to live more than a day, he wrapped his fingers around the intravenous tube so tightly in the hospital that his grandmother couldn’t loosen his grip. She gave him a nickname: “Bad Bad.”

More than 15 years later, he was lying on the ground, fighting once more. His father could be heard on the frantic 911 call, “Baba stay woke, Baba stay woke!”

Floyd Chianti Davenport, IV, 15, was killed in an accidental shooting outside his home in Bethany, Oklahoma, on July 15, 2018.

Two cars followed them as he and his friend walked through the shadows of tree-lined streets in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. He may have looked back, shifting closer to his friend. Perhaps he hoped it was all just a coincidence.

Yet he kept walking, quickly hopping in the front seat of his friend’s red Honda before they drove away.

Kelvion'te A. Trammell, 17, was gunned down and killed in that same car after being repeatedly shot at by the men in the two vehicles that had been following them. The Honda was found hours later crashed in an empty ditch, blood-stained and filled with bullet holes, its engine still running.

Every morning, the seventh-grader greeted his teachers with a smile, high-five, handshake or hug. He found joy in video gaming, biking and snacking.

Almost daily, he walked to La Bodega Grocery, located less than five minutes from his house in Bridgeport, Connecticut. A week before Christmas, he brought his older cousin and bought his favorites — honey bun pastries and juice.

Steps before arriving home on Dec. 18, 2018, Clinton Howell, 12, was shot in the chest and killed. Police said the intended target of the shooting was his 17-year-old cousin. Clinton would have turned 13 on Jan. 9, 2019.