At just 21 years old, Cierra “CiCi” Gingles believed words could calm what anger had ignited.

A family argument between two stepbrothers was spiraling out of control. Voices were raised. Tension thickened the air. One of the men was armed. CiCi did not run. She did not hide. She stepped forward — trying to do what too many hope someone else will do: stop the violence before it starts.

Instead, prosecutors say Gary Gatewood Jr. raised a gun and fired, striking CiCi in the neck. In seconds, the young woman who tried to protect others lay dying.

She never got the chance to see her dreams fulfilled.

CiCi was weeks away from graduating. She dreamed of becoming a pharmacist. She was known as loving, patient, and fiercely protective of her family — the kind of person who believed peace was always possible.

After the shooting, Gatewood fled the scene before later turning himself in. An arrest followed. Charges were filed. But justice on paper offers little comfort to Edith Gingles, who now faces a lifetime without her daughter.

CiCi’s death is a devastating reminder of a growing truth: when guns enter emotional conflicts, there is no safe role — not even for peacemakers. She didn’t escalate the fight. She tried to end it.

And for that, her life was taken. Now, a family grieves. A future is gone. And CiCi’s courage stands as both a tribute and a warning — that trying to do the right thing should never cost a life. 🖤