Arial Renea Charles was 15 when she was shot and killed at an apartment complex on Driftwood Drive in Mesquite, Texas, shortly before 10:30 p.m. on April 24, 2021. Known to family as Arial Pooh and to friends as Ari, she was a Lancaster High School student who enjoyed science and running track and hoped to study Criminal Justice at Louisiana State University.

Arial was with two female teen relatives when three teenage boys she knew were invited to the apartment. All three fled before officers arrived; Mesquite police later charged two 15-year-old boys and a 14-year-old with murder. Investigators continue to examine the sequence of events and who fired the shot. Immediate aid was rendered at the scene and she was taken to hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

Family and friends remember her as happy, funny and caring; the community held a candlelight vigil and balloon release in her honor. If anyone who knew Arial or was in that area that night has information, please come forward.