By the time the gunfire stopped, the backyard looked like the aftermath of a storm no one saw coming. Half-cut cake, toppled folding chairs, tiny shoes left behind in the panic. Parents huddled with shaking children on sidewalks, some still clutching party favors, as sirens screamed toward the quiet neighborhood that would never feel the same again. Strangers wrapped blankets around sobbing families, while officers moved through the scene counting shell casings and victims.
