Chris French headed into the intensive-care unit at Washington Hospital Center last August to visit his mother, who had just had surgery. He was wearing a visor that said FAMU.

A woman in the waiting room stopped him, saying her niece had planned to start her freshman year at Florida A&M University the following week. But her niece had been struck by a stray bullet earlier in the day, and the family was anxiously awaiting news of her condition.

French realized she was talking about Jamahri Sydnor, a 17-year-old bystander who had been caught in a hail of bullets intended for someone else as she drove on a street in the District.

French, 19, who was also heading to FAMU for his freshman year, didn’t know Jamahri, but he was part of a texting group of incoming students, and someone had mentioned what had happened to her.

He couldn’t believe he was at the same hospital as she was. “I was shocked,” he said.

The next morning, French arrived at the hospital to hear the news that Jamahri had died. He had never met her, but he still felt the loss of a classmate.

He decided to give the family space and not approach them. But then Jamahri’s parents walked over to him.

“They stopped me and made conversation, asked if I was ready for FAMU,” French said.

French told them he was eager to begin college, but he wasn’t really ready to start the following week because he had to do his shopping for his dorm. He had been spending time with his mother in the hospital and he hadn’t made it out for a shopping trip.

Jamahri’s mother, D.C. Police Sgt. Q Wallace, replied: “What do you need?”

“I was like, ‘No, I’m fine, I just have to get to the store,’ ” French said.

“We have so much stuff we bought for our daughter,” French recalled Wallace saying. “Please come by...READ MORE