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Elizabeth Van Brocklin was a reporter at The Trace from 2015 to 2019.
Philadelphia
Philadelphia students translate their experiences with violence into poetry.
Mass Shooting
Vandals destroyed a statue of a toy solider dedicated to a 6-year-old hailed for his heroism during the massacre. Now Kellie Cooke is on a crusade to restore it.
Chicago
“It’s really just ... something you shouldn’t have to hear.”
In Memoriam
Caval Haylett Jr. spent his final game dunking for the Poughkeepsie Pioneers. A few hours later, a stray bullet stole his life.
Community Violence
Jamal Gaines, 21, overcame a car accident and partial blindness to run a thriving business before he was shot and killed while closing up shop.
Shot and Forgotten
Anne Marie Hochhalter was a Columbine High School junior eating lunch with her friends when two gunmen stormed the lawn.
Residents of Hesston, Kansas are used to worrying about tornadoes. Now they’re contending with a different type of devastation.
Active Shooting
A laid-back Saturday night at Bilbo's in Kalamazoo gets taken over by a terrible American routine.
City Limits
The intersection of Rampart and Canal has experienced its share of bloodshed. But other parts of the city have it worse.
In the Urban Warriors program, former soldiers mentor inner-city kids exposed to constant gun violence.
Data
The deadly spate of incidents brings the total of shooting deaths among young children this year to at least 11.
The Business of Guns
The Gun Shop Project helps firearm sellers spot potentially suicidal customers, but some employees question whether that should be in their job description.
Hailey and Maximus Blunk belong to a growing group of American kids enduring what one childhood trauma expert calls a "particularly difficult struggle."
Scenes from "The Story of the Stuff"
A Minnesota woman wrote the vow in 1996 before fading off the scene. Now Mary Lewis Grow is redoubling her efforts.