To some, it seemed Angelyn Nino-Herrera arrived in the world fully formed.
Even as a child, her strong fashion sense earned her compliments from teenagers. She was dedicated to helping others, encouraging friends to work on themselves and offering them refuge at her home if they had family troubles.
The Dallas Morning News is telling the stories of people killed in homicides to show the toll of violent crime in Dallas.
Her sister, Aileen Nino, said the 17-year-old was still a child in so many ways. Her favorite food was still McDonald’s. She still loved Hello Kitty toys. Her friends brought stuffed animals to her memorial.
Angelyn, or Angie, died in the early hours of March 23 after police responded to a shooting call in the 2300 block of North Beckley Avenue near the Trinity River. Police released few details, but her family said she was hit by a stray bullet after a fight broke out in a park. As of late August, Dallas police officials said the case was still under investigation and there were no updates to share.
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Marcela Nino-Herrera weeps during the funeral service for her daughter, Angelyn Melinda Nino-Herrera, at Restland Funeral Home in Dallas on April 9, 2025. Angelyn, 17, was fatally shot March 23 in West Dallas.
Juan Figueroa / Staff Photographer
Her mother, Marcela Nino-Herrera, said she’s fought to keep attention on Angie’s case. She has made tribute videos on Facebook. She’s talked to community advocates. She has stayed in contact with the detective. She’s felt frustrated that, despite the dozens of young people in the park that night, police have no primary suspects.
“Hopefully I can touch the heart of one of the kids so that they can come forward with information, because one of them has to have information,” Marcela said.
Angie, who would have turned 18 on Saturday, was a perfectionist. Makeup, hair, cooking, cake decorating — it didn’t matter. If Angie was doing it, it was going to be excellent. Those strong opinions about doing something just right meant she could be assertive and didn’t hold back.
“She was the nicest, most kindhearted, most loving bitch in the world,” Janice Rangel, her cousin, said at her funeral.
Marcela Nino-Herrera hugs Janice Rangel as they laugh over a shared memory of her daughter, Angelyn Melinda Nino-Herrera, during Angelyn’s funeral at the Memorial Chapel at Restland Funeral Home in Dallas on April 9, 2025.
Juan Figueroa / Staff Photographer
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Janice said that when she first learned to do eye makeup, it was for dance performances and could be very exaggerated. When Angie saw her heading out one day, she stopped Janice and made her head back to the bathroom to blend it.
“She would say it so brutally honest, but it was nice because she wouldn’t let me walk out of the house looking crazy,” Janice said.
Several family members said they’ve found themselves missing that honesty. They relished the days Angie complimented them, because they knew she would never fake it. If she took the time to help one of them pick out an outfit, they knew it meant she cared.
She also showed love through bigger acts of service, like when she made a heart-shaped red velvet cake with red frosting for Aileen’s birthday. Aileen said they were closer than normal sisters – going to the bathroom together, singing together in the kitchen, snuggling up and scrolling on one of their phones.
“Most of the time, I was never really alone, I was with my sister,” Aileen said. “I’m going to have to do things that we were supposed to do together, alone.”
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