Family Continues to Seek Justice in 2023 Homicide of Lansing Mother

Photo of Shamika “Mika” Parker

By TNCPNEWS Staff

LANSING, MI  — July 2nd is her birthday.  More than two years after the fatal shooting of 35-year-old Shamika “Mika” Parker, her family continues to seek answers and justice for a woman they remember as a devoted mother, wife, daughter, sister and friend.

On Saturday, November 18, 2023, Lansing Police officers responded at approximately 6 p.m. to the 2800 block of Averill Drive on the city’s southwest side. Officers found Parker suffering from a gunshot wound to the head. She was pronounced dead at the scene. Police later stated they believed the homicide was not a random act and that there was no ongoing threat to the public.

While the initial police reports provided only the basic facts of the investigation, Parker’s family has since shared the personal story of what happened that evening.

According to relatives, Parker was at home with her three children, preparing and selling homemade dinners, something they say she enjoyed doing for family, friends and members of the community. As she finished her final orders that evening, a man entered the home and shot her while her children were in the home.

For Parker’s sister, Savoya Berry, the events of that evening remain vivid. She recalls receiving a frantic phone call from their father while working from home. After rushing to the residence with family members, she saw an ambulance leaving the scene without its lights or sirens activated. When she arrived, yellow crime scene tape surrounded the home, and she learned that her sister had died. The grief that followed, she said, was marked by the cries of family members struggling to process the devastating loss.

Family members describe Parker as someone who loved bringing people together through food and hospitality. They remember her as a caring mother whose greatest joy was her children and whose home was often a gathering place for loved ones.

More than two years later, Parker’s homicide remains publicly unsolved. Her family continues to seek answers while investigators encourage anyone with information to come forward.

Anyone with information about the homicide is encouraged to contact the Lansing Police Department or Crime Stoppers of Mid-Michigan. Tips may be submitted anonymously.