The life of Melanie Yates was cut short one Saturday night last month when a stray bullet fired from the street entered her home and fatally injured her. The 23-year-old mom was reading the Bible to her seven month old daughter Lydia when the incident happened. The baby remained safe.
According to the Christian Headlines, a fight erupted on the street where Yates and her husband, Daniel and two-and-a-half-year-old daughter Evelyn, lived in Zion, Illinois. The small family was spending a quiet Saturday night on October 16 when a gun erupted, causing a stray bullet to enter the Yates home and strike Melanie in the head. Zion Fire Rescue Department took Yates to an area hospital after sustaining extremely critical injuries from the gunshot.
Melanie passed away the morning after. Police investigators believe that Yates, a registered nurse, was not the intended target of the bullet.
WGN 9 reported that Zion and the Lake County Sheriff are still searching for the person who fired the gun that killed Melanie. A memorial service was held for the 23-year-old mom on Saturday, when family and friends gathered to say their final goodbyes outside the family's home in the 2800 block of Enoch Avenue.
Melanie's mother, Lam Calderon recounted how her daughter would often read the Bible to her two children. Calderon admitted, "We raised our children that way. We read to them while they were in the womb. We knew they would have eternal salvation if they believed in Jesus."
Melanie married her husband, Daniel when she was 18, after a year of courtship. The pair had planned to have five to seven children together. Now, the family set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for the family she left behind. Over $143,000 has been raised so far.
"Everybody who knew Lanie knows she loved Jesus Christ with every fiber of her being. There is no doubt whatsoever that she is in heaven at this very moment," the GoFundMe page read. "But we on earth miss her very dearly. We miss her passionate, powerful prayers...her beautiful singing voice lifting songs of worship."
"We miss her dedication to being an amazing, godly mom and wife," the description read.
Those who want to support Melanie's family in this time of need can pray for them and donate via the GoFundMe page created for this purpose.
Stray bullets
Melanie isn't the only victim of stray bullets this year alone. According to the Washington Post, a 54 year old woman who was inside her home in Syracuse, New York was hit by a stray bullet on Sunday evening. It hit her midsection and is expected to survive.
Meanwhile in Iowa, 20-year-old Lance Cpl. Gabe Heefner, was visiting his grandparents on October 17 right before his first deployment with the Marine Corps to Okinawa, Japan when he was hit by a stray bullet on his left temple, forcing him to undergo an operation where part of his skull was removed.
Sixteen-year-old Kyla Sobers was also hit by a stray bullet at a Brooklyn park on October 1. She had to undergo surgery to survive. Lastly, 27-year-old Sally Rose Strelecki, who was in her apartment in Centennial, Colorado when she was hit on the head by a stray bullet, which lodged into her brain. She is now in an induced coma.
