$7K Reward In Case Of Sterling Heights Teen Fatally Shot When Brother Asked Driver To Slow Down

DETROIT (WWJ) - A $7,000 reward is now being offered for tips in the tragic case of a 15-year-old Sterling Heights girl gunned down in a drive-by in Detroit last year.

Police say Jada Rankin was shot in the stomach early in the morning of Sunday, Oct. 16, 2016, while celebrating her brother's birthday at her grandmother's house on Ardmore Street on the city's west side.

Someone was speeding down the street, near Grand River and Schoolcraft, according to witnesses, when Rankin's brother asked the driver to slow down. The unknown gunman opened the car door and shot into the crowd, striking the teen.

Rankin — a straight-A student at Sterling Heights High School — died a short time later at a local hospital.

In a news release announcing the increased reward on Thursday, Crime Stoppers called it a case of a "bright future cut way too short."

"As a community, we must come together and show zero tolerance for those who hurt or kill our children," the organization stated. "As adults, we are the ones they look up to and trust to keep them safe. As neighbors, each of us has a moral responsibility to say something if we see a crime. Even if you're worried about being identified or reluctant to go to police, there is still no excuse because the Crime Stoppers system is 100 person anonymous."

Anyone with information is urged to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-SPEAK-UP. Tips may also be submitted online at this link, or by texting CSM and the tip to CRIMES (2746370). As always, all tips and information through Crime Stoppers are completely anonymous.