Kaylen Denise Thomas
Age 16
McLoud, Oklahoma
In her honor, purple balloons released
Had things been different, last fall she would have played for her school’s varsity basketball team. Known as a dedicated student, her favorite colors were purple and blue.
“You’ve got an empty chair there, and that’s tough on kids,” the superintendent of her school district said afterward. “I didn’t get into this job to bury children.”
Kaylen Denise Thomas, 16, was shot in the head at a friend’s house in McLoud, Oklahoma, on Oct. 5, 2018. The friend, 15, was charged with first-degree manslaughter. The day after she died, purple balloons were released in her honor at a school football game.
