STATESVILLE, N.C. — In the weeks since the tragic killing of 8-year-old Ah'Miyahh Howell during a drive-by shooting in Statesville her mother says the heartbreak hasn't gotten any easier.
Tatiana Howell said she was just 13 years old when she had Ah'Miyahh and the two of them were close as ever.
"That was my best friend," Howell said. "Me and Miyahh basically grew up together."
In the aftermath of the deadly shooting that took her daughter's life, Howell says she continues to look at Ah'Miyahh's TikTok videos to help make her smile.
“I can’t even be sad because every time I think about her she was always happy," Howell said.
Last week Statesville Police announced the arrest of 5 teens accused in the shooting death of Ah'Miyahh. Her mother tells WCNC Charlotte those arrests help bring the family some sense of closure, but there's still hurt.
“Being in the courthouse and hearing those parents say they want their kid so they can love on them and my kid is gone," Howell said.
Each morning to celebrate Ah'Miyahh's memory her mother says she releases a balloon in her honor and vows her baby girl will never be forgotten.
"This is to my 8-year-old who didn't deserve to lose her life," Howell said.
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