RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — A Richmond family is heartbroken after their 15-year-old daughter was shot to death in Richmond’s northside on Monday.
Richmond police responded to North 1st Street and Federal Street around 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 12. At the scene, they found Tynashia Humphrey lying on the sidewalk with a gunshot wound.
“Her father is totally numb right now. Her grandmother is lost for words,” said Ricky Johnson, Tynashia’s cousin. “Here’s another parent that has to bury their child.”
Investigators said the young girl was walking to the corner store with friends when two groups started shooting at each other. She was shot dead in the crossfire.
“This is an innocent baby,” Richmond Police Chief Gerald Smith said at the scene on Monday night. “An innocent life that we’ve lost.”
8News crews captured distraught family members hugging one another at the scene. Smith could be seen consoling the victim’s father and offering words of comfort.
“We’re going to get him. It’s just that plain and simple. I told him that that’s our goal. And we’re going to get him as quickly as we can,” Smith said. “He’s [Tynashia’s father] numb right now, like any father would be. I’d hate to be in his shoes. I could not understand the pain that he could be facing and that he’s going to be facing.”
Family shared photos of the 15-year-old with 8News. A guardian shared a message that read, “She was a 9th grader at Armstrong High School. A very sweet girl with a contagious smile and also creative. We are really going to miss her. This feels like a dream we can’t wake up from.”
Johnson said the impact of this violence is widespread.
“Yes, my family is grieving but it’s not just my family. It’s a community, a school,” he said. “Somebody looked over in a classroom today and she wasn’t there because of someone’s senseless act.”
Shortly after the shooting, Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney released a statement:
“This has to stop. Too many families are losing loved ones to senseless violence. We will not tolerate gun violence in our city. We will not tolerate those who would perpetrate this kind of violence on any of our residents.”
Johnson, who is also a community activist, said the violence must come to an end.
“We can get our streets back,” he said. “We as a community have to say it’s not going to happen in our neighborhood. You know something, say something. Let’s start prosecuting people when they do stuff.”
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact Major Crimes Detective P. Ripley at 804-646-0423.
