Kanari Gentry-Bowers was 12 when she was struck by a stray bullet while playing at her school playground in Chicago on February 11, 2017. The shooting happened around 7:15 p.m. in the 1900 block of W. 57th St in the West Englewood neighborhood. Initial reports said she was shot in the head; family members later clarified the bullet entered the right side of her neck and shattered her spine. She was taken to Stroger Hospital, placed on life support, and died four days later.

The shooting occurred amid a broader wave of violence that night on the South Side, when another child, 11-year-old Takiya Holmes, was critically wounded in a separate shooting. No arrests or suspects have been identified in Kanari’s killing. Her father, Justin Bowers, has publicly urged anyone with information to come forward.

If anyone knew Kanari or saw anything in the West Englewood area that night, please share information with investigators.