A 16-year-old girl from the Bronx, New York, was killed by a stray bullet after a schoolyard fight escalated. Now, her heartbroken grandmother says, “She’s forever 16” after revealing the difficult funeral decision their family made after the shooting.
Videos by Suggest
Grandmother Reveals Cremation Plans For Granddaughter Killed In Shooting
“We decided to have her cremated just so the family can have something,” said the grandmother of Evette Jeffrey to the New York Post. Evette died after a 14-year-old boy allegedly fired three bullets into the crowd at a Morrisania schoolyard. This happened around 5 PM on Monday, May 12.
The teen girl was tragically killed in the crossfire of this confrontation between a group of boys. She was riding her scooter out of the schoolyard at the same time that the fight happened. Soon after, a stray bullet struck her head.
Evette’s family has had to make an important decision ahead of her funeral, and they decided to cremate her. “The mom doesn’t want her in the cemetery,” the grandma continued. “The family doesn’t want it.”
The grieving grandmother rightfully expressed her anger at the tragedy. “They took her away from us,” she said. “They took her away from me.”
Grandmother Will “Never Forgive” Shooter Who Killed Granddaughter
She also had a message specifically for the alleged shooter. “I don’t forgive you,” said the grandmother in tears. “I hold your family responsible because they should be watching you. Whoever handed you [the gun] or had it, I will never forgive you.”
Although Evette was rushed to Lincoln Hospital, she was soon pronounced dead, per ABC News. After the shooting, a US Marshals task force tracked down the suspect. They are now holding him at the 42nd Precinct station and have placed murder charges on him.
Evette’s grandmother recalled how her granddaughter had exciting plans that day. After school on Monday, Evette was going to celebrate her one-year anniversary with her boyfriend.
“She was gonna go eat and then they’ll be back, and I said, ‘Let me know when you get there,'” the grandmother explained.
She then heard gunshots outside. “I was upstairs and I heard three shots, because my window faces that way … not knowing it was her,” she continued. “My neighbors came banging on the door, and I opened the door, and they said she got shot in the head. That was it.”