MEMPHIS, Tenn. — One night two years ago, a bullet was pointed at a sleeping teenage girl and took her life.
To this day, no one knows who the gunman is.
The murder mystery of Cateria Stokes, is an ‘open wound’ for her family, friends and the community.
“She was my little angel,” her mother, Joyce Stokes said.
Joyce Stokes has spent almost three years of her life fighting for justice.
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Tears fill her eyes when she thinks about her 15-year-old daughter, Cateria Stokes, and how she was murdered.
Memphis Police say Cateria Stokes was killed when someone opened fire on the family’s Parkway Village home in the middle of the night.
“I think about what she would be doing now, and what type of person she would be,” the mother said.
Not a day goes by that she doesn’t think about Stokes’ killer who is still walking free.
“I’m not giving up, I don’t care how long it takes,” Stokes’ mother said. “I ask God to give me strength through this day everyday.”
Homicide detectives say Stokes was in her bedroom asleep when the gunman sprayed her home with bullets.
Family members say Stokes’ murder was a retaliation shooting, but the gunman targeted the wrong house and the wrong family.
“What people fail to realize is that when you fire a weapon, a bullet goes where it goes. It doesn’t go where you want it to go. It goes where you point it,” she said. “So if your shooting at the wrong house, it’s going to hit the wrong house.”
Police say the family’s Cottonwood Street home was hit so many times that Stokes’ elderly and disabled uncle was also hit.
“If you just spraying and hoping to hit something, you’re going to hit something. It may be a 15-year-old girl,” Stokes said.
The mother says she just wants justice.
“Don’t forget about Cateria. Don’t forget about her,” she said.
If you know who killed 15-year-old Cateria Stokes, call CrimeStoppers at (901)-528-CASH.
All calls are confidential.