WASHINGTON– (DC News Now)–She was only 10 years old. However, Arianna Davis provided so much joy to so many people.
A large crowd filled the Temple of Praise Church Tuesday for Davis’ funeral.
“This is not normal,” said her uncle, Pastor Jody Fletcher, who helped preside over the service.
Davis was shot May 14 along Hayes Street NE as she and her family drove home after a Mother’s Day celebration.
“Im gonna say whoever did it, didn’t mean to do it,” Fletcher told the mourners. “But brother, you slipped up, and you’ve got to pay for it.”
Arianna died three days later from her injuries.
Tears filled the church during the service, as several people still wear t-shirts that bear the child’s face as a tribute.
“I’m angry because we’re walking around with t-shirts with this baby’s face on it, and her life is worth more than a t-shirt,” said Fletcher.
He’s not the only relative to speak at the service.
“Let us remember a beautiful soul we lost that laughs in our dreams that radiate from her young spirit,” said Davis’ cousin Makallya Freeman. “May our beautiful angel rest in peace knowing that her spirit lives in us, guiding us to a future where such an act of violence is nothing but a distant memory.”
The family they’ll finally have some sense of peace once the person who took this young life is found.
The Metropolitan Police Department, the FBI, and the ATF are offering a combined reward of up to $45,000 for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for Arianna’s death.
Anyone with information is asked to call MPD at (202) 727-9099. Anonymous information may also be forwarded to the Department’s TEXT TIP LINE by text messaging 50411.