Samiyah Yellardy was 17 when she was shot and killed inside her Richmond apartment on Afton Avenue on the night of April 10, 2022. The shooting occurred in the stairwell just before 2:30 a.m. while her mother was out of town; Samiyah died at the scene. Authorities are treating the incident as a homicide and no arrests have been announced.

A George Wythe High School student, Samiyah — also known as Mimy or Mimezzy — was remembered by her mother, Akeyia Pernell, as bright, outgoing, and family‑oriented, with plans to become a pediatrician. Hundreds attended a vigil at her school, releasing purple and silver balloons, and the community later created a memorial bench in her honor that was reported missing in August of a subsequent year.

Samiyah’s mother has been publicly vocal in urging investigators to keep working the case and has been in regular contact with detectives and the media. If anyone knew Samiyah, was in that neighborhood the night of April 10, 2022, or has information that could help, please come forward.