A 23-year-old mother of two was killed while transporting her child to school.
Around 8 a.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 13, the young mother was driving her 7-year-old daughter to the bus stop near Coleridge-Taylor Montessori Elementary School in Louisville, Ky., according to a statement from the Louisville Metro Police Department.
According to WHAS11, the victim’s family identified her as Redaja “Juicy” Williams. In addition to being a mother to her daughter, she has a two-year-old child.
According to LMPD Chief Paul L. Humphrey, Williams was taken to the University of Louisville Hospital and pronounced dead when they arrived.
“I screamed, I yelled, and I made everybody get down,” witness Kendra LaRue told WLKY. “I have children running this way and running to the Y. Children are running over there, along with my daughter and a few of our friends, and my second reaction is to the person on the ground.”
“Every time I close my eyes, I see her, and I hear her breath,” LaRue told me. “I hear her gasping for air.”
Authorities initially investigated a 15-year-old boy as the suspect. He was later released and charged with an unrelated shooting in the same area on August 7. The LMPD is still searching for the suspect.
Williams’ sister, Lavett Knuckles, told reporters that she witnessed the fatal shooting.
“I had to watch my sister lay on that ground and take her last breath,” Knuckles told WKLY. “There was nothing I could do about it.”
“My daughter also uses this bus stop. Knuckles added, “She also witnessed this.” “She’s traumatized, so many questions.”
“We want the killer caught ASAP,” Williams’ mother, Schreida Simmons, told WHAS11. She also mentioned that her daughter “was the life of the party.”
“She’d light up the room every time she came in – you’d know it was Juicy,” Williams’ cousin, Twand Howard, explained.
Williams’ aunt, Donna Cole, asked the public to remember her niece and her legacy during a press conference on Thursday, August 14.
“I am traumatized. I live in fear. Cole said, “Not that they’ll do anything to me, but to someone else’s child.” “Stay angry every day. Be proactive in your community. Be proactive in your neighbourhood. Do not talk about it. “Be about it.”
During the press conference, Williams’ great-uncle, Kenneth Simmons, and uncle urged the suspect to come forward. “If you’re real men, tell us who did it. “Please, because it could be your child next.”
“You can’t even go to the grocery store without somebody wanting to shoot you, rob you, or carjack you,” Williams’ grandfather, Bruce Simmons, told WAVE. “It’s gotta stop somewhere.”
On Wednesday, Humphrey confirmed that the children who witnessed the shooting will receive counseling from Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS), the nearby YMCA, and the Office of Violence Prevention. “I know JCPS has counselors within their schools that’ll make sure that they get with these kids and offer the support that they need to get through this tragedy,” he told reporters.
“Understand that you do not go through something like this as a young person. Humphrey said, “This is something that will change you forever.”
“So whether it’s the formal support that we’ll get whether it’s provided by Louisville Metro or JCPS or private institutions, these kids are forever impacted by this,” he told me. “And we must recognize this as a community. That formal support should not end, and we should continue to provide it.”
LMPD requests that anyone with information call 502-574-LMPD or use the online anonymous crime tip hotline.
On Thursday, a representative from the Louisville Metro Police Department did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for additional information.
