CHARLOTTE, N.C. — In Charlotte’s first week of 2023, four lives have been taken to gun violence, including the life of 5-year-old Lyric Thomas.
Friday night, Lyric's loved ones commemorated her with an emotional candlelight vigil and balloon release near where she died.
The event was very hard for parents Naquone Thomas and Christina Morris. Thomas let out a sigh and said to reporters, "I don’t even know what to say,” as he tried to hold it together.
Thomas described his daughter as full of life and a "ball of joy."
Morris said that "Lyric touched a lot of people in her own special way and there’s a lot of people that love her."
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police reported that Lyric was killed in an accidental shooting just after midnight on New Year’s Eve. It happened on Moretz Avenue, not far from Camp North End. Now a vigil sits where tragedy struck.
Lyric is one of three people that were shot and killed on New Year’s Day in Charlotte. The second happened around 3 a.m. in northeast Charlotte, the third happened at 1 p.m. in southwest Charlotte.
On Wednesday, Jan. 4, a fourth person was killed in Charlotte’s first week of 2023. That shooting happened on West 24th Street.
"Awareness and education are vital if we are to decrease the crime rate,” Willie Tabor, president of the North Druid Hills Community Association, said.
Tabor attended the vigil to pay his respects and is urging gun owners to do all they can to prevent another life from being taken.
"All we can do again is continue to educate, get people engaged, let them know how vital it is if you're going to be an owner of a firearm: How to take care of it, store it properly, and keep it out of range of children,” Tabor said.
Out of the four shootings, two people have been charged with murder. Anyone with information about Lyric’s death is asked to call 704-432-TIPS. CMPD says the public can also leave information anonymously by contacting Crime Stoppers at 704-334-1600.
Contact Julia Kauffman at jkauffman@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.