Destiny Woodall

Destiny Woodall was a 17-year-old Black girl from Cleveland, Ohio, with a bright future ahead of her. A neighbor remembered her as a determined teenager, saying, "She would have grown up to be fantastic at whatever she set her mind to... she was good at it, but unfortunately her life was taken from her." Her loved ones described her as a typical teen who was "wanting to live life planning for your future."

On the evening of February 13, 2022, Cleveland police officers responded to a shooting at a home on Buhrer Avenue. They discovered Destiny in a bedroom, suffering from a gunshot wound to her chest. Paramedics rushed her to MetroHealth Medical Center for treatment. At the scene, investigators followed a trail of blood that led them from the bedroom to the basement. There, they found 21-year-old Iykel Burkes, Destiny's boyfriend, with a gunshot wound to his hand.

Burkes told police that he had accidentally shot himself in the hand and that the bullet had then struck Destiny. A gun was confiscated at the scene. Destiny's mother later said she did not believe Burkes's story, stating that her daughter had previously been a victim of domestic abuse. Destiny fought for her life in the hospital for two weeks but succumbed to her injury on February 28, 2022. The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed her death was a result of the gunshot wound.

After being treated for his hand wound, Iykel Burkes was arrested. He was indicted on February 18, 2022, on charges of attempted murder and felonious assault, and his bond was set at $1 million. Following Destiny’s death, the charges against him were upgraded to include one count of murder. The case proceeded to trial, where Burkes was convicted of murder and tampering with evidence. He was sentenced to serve 18 years to life in prison.