A 17-year-old high school soccer star was shot and killed after she left a Sweet 16 party at an Ohio YMCA. Police believe the killing, which happened on the night of April 4, was a case of her being in the wrong place at the wrong time. She’s been named locally as Kelsie Crow, a student at Purcell Marian High School in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. 60 Shots Were Fired During the Shooting
Police say that Crowe was shot after a fight broke out at the Sweet 16 she was attending in Walnut Hills, a Cincinnati neighborhood, reports Ohio.com. She died at a local hospital on April 6, two days after the attack. Also shot were a boy, 17, and another girl, 15. Both are expected to survive. Police say no arrests have been made but from their investigations so far, they estimate that 60 shots were fired at the scene.
2. Her Cousin Said Crow Was the ‘Kind of Person You Could Talk to About Anything’
In a touching tribute to her cousin, Natallie Segrist-Bellamah, told Local 12, “Not a day went by that we didn’t talk. She always made it clear to everybody around her that they were special and that she meant something big to her. And she was never judgmental. She was just the kind of person you could talk to about anything.” At a prayer meeting at Crow’s parochial high school, Cincinnati Police Chief Jeffrey Blackwell said “We do not think the two females were targeted. We think think they were innocent victims.” Blackwell didn’t comment about the boy. He added that his department wouldn’t rest until suspects were arrested. A white van has been reported by several witnesses as being involved in the attack.
3. It Was Crow’s Dream to Attend the University of Kentucky
(Instagram)
A friend of Crow’s, Dan Morrison, wrote on Twitter that Crow was “one of the biggest UK fans I ever knew.” In the Local 12 piece on Crow, it mentions that it had been her dream to attend the University of Kentucky. A soccer star at her high school, she was listed as a junior on the roster for her team for 2015.
4. The YMCA Where the Shooting Took Place Was Rented for a Private Party for 75 People
WLWT reports that on the night of the shooting, the YMCA had been rented out for a private party for 75 people with adult chaperones. Neighbors, however, told the station that more than 75 people had shown up. One witness, Ricardo Thomas, told WLWT, “It was real rowdy, kids running everywhere and ducking and hiding. I was in my house and I heard a bunch of shootings, about five gunshots. I came out on the porch and just seen a bunch of kids, hundreds of kids running.”
5. This Is Cincinnati’s 11th Murder of 2015
Rally in Walnut Hills for teen killed in shooting at birthday party. #ripkelsie @WCPO http://t.co/g1J4kI1FYI
This was the 11th homicide in Cincinnati in 2015, according to Cincinnati.com. There were 66 in the city in 2014, down from 75 in 2013. A witness to the April 4 shooting told WLWT, “I think if people start holding their children more responsible and even as neighbors, telling on them kids that are doing something wrong, telling on the parents, you know. We just have to embrace this thing as a community and not as individuals because we will not get it done as individuals.”