US teen, who wrote essay on gun-violence, killed by bullet
Sandra Parks, who had written an essay on the menace of gun violence in her hometown, Milwaukee, US, was shot dead by a stray bullet inside her home on Monday. She was 13 years old. Ironically, in her 2016 essay, which got her third place in Milwaukee writing competition, Sandra wrote children became victims of 'senseless gun violence', called for empathy and less negativity.
Man shot at 'unknown target', hit Sandra
Sandra died on Monday after a man used an assault-style rifle to shoot at an 'unknown target'. Police arrested 26-year-old Isaac Barnes and charged him with first-degree reckless homicide and other offenses. Barnes' aide Untrell Oden, accused of keeping his firearms at his home, was also arrested. Sandra's mother Bernice Parks said her daughter was everything the world was not.
She took it like a soldier, sister tells
Describing the horrifying incident, Sandra's sister Tatiana Ingram said she took it like a soldier. She entered the room and said, 'Mama, I'm shot'. Tatiana added, "She was only hit one time, in her chest. The bullet wasn't even for her." Bernice said her daughter didn't like violence. "She was my angel from the time she was in my womb," she added.
Senseless gun-violence, state of chaos: Sandra's words resonated with many
Notably, Sandra's essay, in which she spoke about 'state of chaos', gained widespread attention. She had written, "Little children are victims of senseless gun violence' and 'there is too much black-on-black crime." "Sometimes, I sit back and I have to escape from what I see. When I do; I come to the same conclusion ... we are in a state of chaos," she wrote.
Back then, Sandra revealed why she chose gun-violence as topic
About her decision to write on gun violence, Sandra said, "All you hear about is somebody dying or somebody getting shot and people do not just think about whose father or son or granddaughter or grandson who it was that was just killed."
Students have become victims of homicide
The statistics paint a gloomy picture. In last two years, 12 students of Milwaukee public schools have become homicide victims. Sandra is seventh victim since January. Mayor Tom Barrett said, "It's part of the insanity we see in Milwaukee. I look at where we are now as a city and it breaks my heart to stand here. As a dad, it breaks my heart."
