BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Balloons filled the sky at Schiller Park - to remember the life and legacy of 17-year-old Lorinia "Poonie" Robinson.
"It breaks my heart. She's only 17 years old. She's still a baby. This shouldn't happen," said Pastor Tim Newkirk, the organizer of the vigil and the head of GYC Ministries.
According to police, the shooting happened around 9:00 p.m. on Wednesday evening near the the 400 block of Lisbon Avenue, only a few blocks away from University of Buffalo's South Campus.
Lorinia was in a moving car when she was shot. The driver continued down the road, eventually pulling over and calling 911 near the 100 block of Langfield Drive. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
"We cannot continue to see more and more people die because of violence," said Newkirk, who said a more open dialogue about gun violence and anger needs to be opened to help the community.
“It becomes such a quiet subject, but its a dangerous subject. Its an angry subject. When you have organizations working together, we’re trained in this, we have the ability to make it a warm atmosphere ," he added.
Lorinia is the 58th homicide victim in Buffalo this year, and the 18th victim under the age of 18.
In the entire year of 2020, there were 65 homicides.
