Aaliyah Anders found herself in a nightmare scenario two days after Christmas when her Lufkin apartment complex became a target for a viral TikTok challenge, leading to a series of late-night door-kicking incidents. Seeking aid, Anders called the police, only to tragically lose her life in the encounter.
Officer Lauren Nick, responding to the call, approached Anders’ apartment and rang the doorbell. In a moment of fear and confrontation, Anders, a Black woman, confronted the officer with her own firearm, resulting in fatal shots fired by Nick.
Anders became one of the 1,346 individuals killed by police in the past year, marking the final recorded police shooting fatality in Texas. Despite the alarming numbers, incidents like Anders’ receive little of the attention garnered by high-profile cases such as George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, or Ahmaud Arbery.
