Daniel Munoz was a 4-year-old boy from Highland, California, who was killed on July 29, 2015 after being struck by a stray bullet while playing in the front yard of his aunt’s home on McKinley Avenue around 8:30 p.m. The bullet hit Daniel in the neck; he was taken to a hospital but succumbed to his injuries.

Investigators tied the shooting to a dispute between two men, Darron Daniels and Maurice Kelley, and occupants of a white 1990s Toyota Camry. The argument, believed to be drug-related, escalated and the Camry’s occupants were the intended targets. Both Daniels and Kelley were arrested within 24 hours; Daniels was charged with second-degree murder and two counts of attempted murder, and Kelley faced accessory to murder charges with prior felony convictions. Daniels was later convicted of second-degree murder and in March 2017 received a sentence of 78 years to life; Kelley pleaded guilty to accessory to murder and was sentenced to six years.

Daniel’s mother, Yuliana Morales, described the deep impact of his death on the family, recalling how Daniel and his older brother were inseparable.