Samantha Kenyetta-Evon Cothran, 23, was shot and killed in Buffalo, New York, on May 13, 2012. She and her sister were leaving a house party on Minnesota Avenue just hours after a Mother’s Day celebration when gunfire erupted and Samantha was struck. She had recently celebrated her birthday and was about to start a job as a pharmacist.

The party drew roughly 100 to 150 people, yet investigators say witness cooperation has been minimal. Authorities — including the Buffalo Police Department and the FBI — have investigated a theory that the shooting was retaliatory and tied to local gang violence, with an assailant firing into the crowd. In 2019 someone who attended the party claimed to know the shooter’s identity, but that tip did not produce arrests.

Anyone who was at the party or who has information that could help bring Samantha’s family justice is asked to come forward.