Janaya Lopez was shot and killed in Harrisburg in the early hours of July 22, 2023. Officers responding to reports of gunfire found the 21-year-old near South 16th and Chestnut Streets; she was pronounced dead at the scene. Harrisburg Police say she was with a group when the shooting occurred and that there’s no indication she was the intended target, suggesting she may have been an innocent bystander caught in crossfire between her group and another.

Lopez lived in Ronks, Lancaster County, and was a mother of four children, ages 6, 4, 3, and 6 months. Her father, Jonathan Lopez, described the family’s grief and the unexpected burden of funeral expenses and caring for the children. No arrests have been announced and the investigation is ongoing; authorities are urging anyone with information to come forward.

Did anyone in the Harrisburg area see or hear anything around South 16th and Chestnut Streets that night?