“She was an innocent bystander.” Family of teenager killed by stray bullet in 2021 hopes justice will finally be served

In north Minneapolis, relatives of 19-year-old Vanessa Jensen gathered Wednesday morning to spruce up her memorial with new flowers, stuffed animals and balloons.

“Very sociable, very fun, lots of happiness,” is how Travis Jensen described his daughter. “Every day you wake up, you still can’t believe it.”

Vanessa was watching a pop-up street race on June 5, 2021, when she was hit by a stray bullet at North 22nd Avenue and North 2nd Street.

“She was an innocent bystander and she ended up getting shot,” Travis said.

Community activist KG Wilson has grown closer to Vanessa's family over the past three years.

“This makes me angry, because there were hundreds of people here that night, so you can't tell me that someone doesn't know,” Wilson said of no information being reported. “Here we are three years later, a family torn apart and no justice. »

There have been no arrests in this case.

“It hurts, it hurts a lot,” said Vanessa’s mother, Rachel Jensen. “I miss my daughter, every day.”

If you have any information about this case, you are encouraged to contact Crime Stoppers of Minnesota, where you can report information anonymously.

“I know Vanessa wouldn't want me to give up,” Rachel said.