Ta’Carhri Richardson was 17 and preparing for his senior year at Godwin Heights High School when he was killed on August 3, 2014, in Wyoming, Michigan. Riding in a car with friends that day, a loaded handgun in the backseat discharged; a bullet passed through the driver’s seat and struck Richardson in the back. He was rushed to the hospital but died of his wounds.

Authorities later arrested 17-year-old Marquis Kilgore, who admitted involvement in the shooting. A judge described the shooting as accidental, but Kilgore was convicted and in February 2015 received concurrent terms that included two and a half to 15 years for manslaughter plus two years for a felony firearm conviction. Richardson’s mother delivered a victim impact statement about the milestones her son would never reach.