On the evening of May 22, 2022, 16-year-old Nikkianna Caldwell was shot while sitting in a parked car on East Willow Street in Lafayette, Louisiana. She was struck in the chest and died despite efforts by bystanders and emergency responders to save her.

Lafayette Police arrested a 14-year-old boy soon after the shooting; because he is a minor his name has not been released. He was charged with second-degree murder. Proceedings involving the juvenile remain confidential, so many details about what led to the shooting and the case outcome are not public.

Nikkianna’s death left a family and community grieving and raised painful questions about how a childhood friendship ended in violence. If anyone knew Nikkianna or has information about that evening on East Willow Street, please come forward.