NORFOLK, Va. — The family of DeShayla Harris is demanding answers and justice.
On Wednesday afternoon, they held a press conference in front of the United States Federal Courthouse in Norfolk in hopes of finding the person who killed Harris.
“I’m lost, ya know. I’m empty. It’s hard. I push every single day,” said Elisheba Harris, her mother.
Virginia Beach Police said a stray bullet killed Harris during the chaos at the Oceanfront back in March. Eight months later, police said they still don’t know who shot her.
“It’s just not fair that we have to go on, it’s been eight months. Eight long suffering months. My children are not the same. My daughter texted me today and she can’t even work, she can’t even go on, it’s so hard for us,” she said.
Harris’ mom said she hasn’t heard from anyone within the Virginia Beach Police Department in several months, which is one reason she decided to hire a private investigator.
She hopes to learn more.
“I know it was a mistake. I know it was a mistake, but I can’t live this way knowing that no one is being accounted for it,” Harris said.
Harris' mom wants the FBI to investigate, and plans on filing federal paperwork to make that happen. Right now, the investigation is in the hands of the Virginia Beach Police Department.
She said she also asked investigators to give her all of the video they have from the night her daughter died.
“We want all of it whether it was right, wrong, up or down we need everything,” she said. “Everything there is to know that happened that night. The officers, the fire department, the ambulance. We need everything.”
Elisheba said she won’t stop until she gets the answers she says she deserves.
“I’m not going away. I want justice. I want accountability. Someone did it,” she said.
She won’t get closure until an arrest is made in her daughter’ death.
The Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is offering up to a $10,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest of the person or people responsible.
Crime Solvers, which usually offers $1,000 for tips, has bumped it up to $5,000 at the request of the Virginia Beach Police Department.