VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — The family of DeShayla Harris talked to Virginia Beach City Council members on Tuesday afternoon about creating a memorial to honor Harris.
Harris died nearly a year ago after she was struck by a stray bullet from a shooting at the Oceanfront.
Virginia Beach Councilwoman Sabrina Wooten said it is a day she will never forget and calls it one of the most tragic events in the city of Virginia Beach. Wooten supports a permanent memorial for Harris.
Beyond a physical memorial, Harris' family says they also want to see a living tribute to her.
“In March, it will be a year and we still haven’t gotten anywhere yet,” said Elisheba Harris.
Virginia Beach police said investigators haven’t made an arrest. Harris' mom said the pain never goes away.
“Don’t even try to wrap your mind around your child being taken away from you instantly and there’s nothing you can do about it,” she said. “The worst feeling is this feeling here. I would never wish this on my worst enemy.”
Her mother is asking city council for a permanent memorial at the Oceanfront. There’s currently a temporary one on 19th Street.
“I know, it’s not a lot. It’s only Dollar Tree flowers but it’s just something that I feel it takes the pain away from me and makes me feel better,” she explained. “I will never talk to her again, never see her again... so this, to me, means a lot to me. When I go here it makes me smile and it takes away some of the pain.”
Harris’ mom also said when it comes to supporting victims’ families, better communication between police and the families dealing with the tragedy is needed.
“What can we do? How can we make it better that it won’t happen like that again?” she asked. “I feel like the police need more training; even the way that they handled as a family is inappropriate. There was no sincere, no compassion.”
Mayor Bobby Dyer said he reached out to other mayors across the region to see about launching a "757 DeShayla Harris Youth Violence Task Force." He said he is waiting for responses from those mayors and said he would give Harris’ family time to think about it.
The Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is offering as much as $10,000 for information that leads to the arrest of the person or people responsible for Harris’ murder.
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. If you have any information that may help investigators, you can submit a tip anonymously by calling 1-888-LOCK-U-UP or online at P3Tips.com.