A gathering on the Southeast side of Grand Rapids in the spring of 2017 ended with the death of 18-year-old Kiara Carter. On the evening of March 20, Kiara was among about a dozen people at an apartment on Kalamazoo Avenue when she was struck in the head by a bullet and died at the scene. Investigators quickly ruled her death a homicide.

Police alleged a 16-year-old male, named in court as Cleo Malik Nelson, was handling a rifle at the party. Reports say Kiara asked him to unload it; Nelson removed the magazine but left a round in the chamber, then pointed the rifle at Kiara and fired. Nelson was arrested in June 2017 and charged as an adult with open murder; he later pleaded guilty to manslaughter and in October 2017 was sentenced to eight to 15 years in prison. The judge described the shooting as extremely gross negligence and carelessness and noted Nelson had prior juvenile court involvement.

If anyone attended that party or has information about what happened that night, please come forward.