Nizzear Rodriguez only got to be a teenager for a few hours before he was shot to death in his bedroom.

On Aug. 24, 2014, at least two people broke into a Carroll County townhouse, and one of them fired the shot that killed the boy. But no one was convicted of killing Nizzear, who had celebrated his 13th birthday hours before he died.

The alleged gunman was acquitted of murder.

Read how Nizzear's family uses faith to find peace through the tragedy on myajc.com.

Kanisha Osorio talks about her 13-year-old nephew Nizzear Rodriguez, who was shot and killed before daybreak Sunday in the bedroom of his family's Carrollton apartment. Ben Gray / bgray@ajc.com

About the Author

Featured

Peggy Harris (foreground) stocks the shelves at Sandy's IGA, which is the only grocery store in town, Tuesday, October 7, 2025, in Sparta. Hancock County has one of the highest rates of childhood food insecurity in the country. (Hyosub Shin/AJC)

Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC