Kelly Cody was a 28-year-old mother from the Pittsburgh area remembered by family as kind, funny and brave. A Black woman with a 6-year-old son, she was a registered organ donor and described by loved ones as someone who tried to help everyone and saw the good in people.

On the morning of January 21, 2021, Kelly had just gotten into the passenger seat of a friend’s car in Penn Alley in Stowe Township, Pennsylvania, when a man pulled open the vehicle’s door and began fighting with the driver. The man, armed with a gun, shot into the car. Kelly was struck in the head and taken to a local hospital in critical condition; she was pronounced dead later that day, just before 4:30 p.m.

Allegheny County Police arrested 29-year-old Lauren Brown nearby after he tried to flee and discarded a semi-automatic pistol. He was charged with criminal homicide, aggravated assault, tampering with evidence and firearm violations; a jury later convicted him of third-degree murder, aggravated assault, tampering with evidence and firearms counts, and a judge sentenced him to 33 to 66 years in prison. Kelly’s mother said Brown had taken advantage of her daughter’s kindness and that Kelly’s being left there continues to haunt her.

If anyone knew Kelly, her movements that morning, or has information about the case, please come forward.