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Anesa Jia Baker

Age 15

Mobile, Alabama

Dream to be nurse went unfulfilled

“She had a great attitude and was just a pleasure to be around. She was a leader,” said her basketball coach.

She was a freshman at McGill-Toolen Catholic High School and an aspiring nurse. “Her hugs are what I’ll miss,” her godmother said. “She would hug you every day as if she hadn't seen you in years."

On April 1, 2018, Anesa Jia Baker, 15, was shot at a pre-spring break party in Mobile, Alabama. Her coach said that he hoped that with “this beautiful flower being picked from the garden, parents everywhere realize that this could be your child.”

By Imani Beckett · Age 16
Meet the Reporters

More than 300 athletes

Elisha Amon Cole

Dreaming big, working on his portfolio

Taveon Donte' Brooks

Basketball point guard, would-be rapper

Natwan Kian Holyfield

Supposed to go to homecoming, prom

Orlando Myron Anderson Jr.

He was so full of life

Sharon Castro

She always helped those who struggled

Avi Liam Franco

He loved to learn and explore

Zyhame Kila Jones

An artist, basketball player and car-lover

Kendrick D. Davis

Not quite clear on his dreams

Lorenzo Moore-Vaughn

About to start his senior year

Jeremiah Ascencio

Last moments spent cradling his brother

Vicente Valero III

He was a modern Renaissance man

James Alexzander Shorter

He’ll never taste grandma’s cookies again

Jayden Fondeur

His older brother found him first

Jontae Billups-Brooks

An athlete and a music lover

Ray Glasgow III

Bench wears jersey instead of captain

Ra’Quan Darius Jones

Didn’t get to see his GED

Ta Quan Pinkney

Bright future; gone too soon

Ricky Lamar Green Jr.

His children never saw him box

Jovontia Antonio Jones

A runner grieved by seven siblings

Brandon Nathan Tyson

Friday night lights end in tragedy