ORLANDO, Fla. – Family and friends held a vigil Monday evening in the area where a 16-year-old girl was found shot and killed early Sunday.
Orlando police said Tavyiah King, 16, was killed near Silver Star Road and John Young Parkway at about 1 a.m.
King’s younger brother Nicolas Civil said that he was close with his big sister.
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“She wanted to make the world a better place, and now that she’s gone, we will try to make the world a better place for her,” Civil said. “She shouldn’t have died. It wasn’t her time. She wanted to on a road trip. We were going to go recently, but the incident happened and now we aren’t going to be able to to go.”
Her cousin Nasiar Santiago said he too fears for his safety due to the gun violence.
”I walk outside every day, it’s like I don’t know if I’m going to come back dead or alive. It’s a shame that our parents have to worry about that,” Santiago said.
The family is urging anyone who knows who pulled the trigger, to give the information to authorities.
”She was a selfless person. She was a contagious person. When she walked into the room, you knew she was there because her personality was so strong and she just cared about others,” Santiago said.
Anyone with information is asked to call Crimeline at 1-800-423-TIPS.