Scarlett K. Tucker was a 16-year-old from Burlington, Kentucky, remembered by family as kind, funny, and full of life. A former cheerleader and gymnast who hoped to pursue cosmetology, she enjoyed singing and roller-skating and had recently been grieving the loss of her grandmother.

On January 3, 2023, Scarlett was at a Silver Brook Drive home with three other teenagers and an 18-year-old acquaintance, Demarkus Hedges. The group returned to the residence about 1:30 a.m. and, according to court testimony, Hedges and others were recklessly handling a handgun in a bedroom, removing its magazine and pointing it at people. At approximately 2:18 a.m. Hedges pointed the gun at Scarlett and fired. A bullet that remained in the chamber struck her in the head; first responders pronounced her dead at the scene.

Hedges fled but turned himself in later that day and was arrested on charges including murder, tampering with physical evidence, and unlawful transaction with a minor. Early reports that the shooting followed a dispute over a dropped bag of marijuana were later corrected in court to say the death resulted from reckless handling of the firearm. Does anyone who knew Scarlett or was in that neighborhood the night of January 3 have information to share?