One of Legaci’s loved ones, Princetyn Daniels, 10, reflected during the Sunday memorial on some of the happy memories she had of her cousin.
She described Legaci as having an audacious personality beyond her years.
“... Ain’t no way she was just five years old; the last time I saw her, we were arguing about some candy and she told me to be quiet,” Princetyn said, smiling as she recalled the funny moment.
Credit: Aimee Hancock
Credit: Aimee Hancock
Princetyn then spoke briefly against the violence that led to Legaci’s death.
“All I want to say is ya’ll need to stop that stupid stuff; ain’t no way this should be going on,” she said. “She was only five years old.”
Friday’s shooting was reported around 9:30 p.m. in the 3000 block of Nicholas Road near South Gettysburg Road.
A 911 caller said he and his daughter were shot as they were getting in their vehicle.
The man was shot in the foot, according to the 911 call.
At least a dozen gunshots were heard in the neighborhood that’s lined with two-story homes, according to a second 911 caller.
The shooting remains under investigation and police have not named a suspect.
Credit: Aimee Hancock
Credit: Aimee Hancock
Dion Green, a survivor of the Oregon District mass shooting and founder of the nonprofit Fudge Foundation, attended Sunday’s memorial.
“We’ve got to start loving ourselves; if we love ourselves, we should be able to love others,” Green said. “Right now, it seems like nobody is loving themselves, so why would they love others?” And we’re seeing the repercussions of that happening in our city.”
Credit: Aimee Hancock
Credit: Aimee Hancock
Green said he wanted to send a message of love to Legaci’s family as they navigate through the trauma from her death.
“I just want to give her space, tell her that it takes time; it takes a lifetime,” he said. “But the community is behind you. We have people like myself, and other organizations, that are here to support in any way that we can.”
Green said he wants communities to support each other and work to prevent violence before it begins by offering kids extracurricular activities and opportunities for social and emotional learning.
“Things like the Peace Ambassadors, the Fudge Foundation, Victory Project, Boys and Girls Club of Dayton, Sunlight Village — there are organizations that are doing the work," Green said. “But we have to collaborate, continue to lean on each other, and build our community how we want it to be built because right now, we’re losing.”
Dayton Mayor Jeffrey Mims also highlighted the need for hands-on intervention to curb violence in Dayton, a city that last year had one of the highest homicide rates in the nation.
Credit: Aimee Hancock
Credit: Aimee Hancock
He noted an initiative by Dayton City Commission, which last month approved a $473,000 agreement with the Greater Dayton Area Hospital Association (GDAHA) to help set up a violence interruption program, based on a model developed by Cure Violence Global.
Under this model, trained “violence interrupters” and outreach workers go out into the community to try to identify and mediate conflicts before they escalate into bloodshed. Workers try to develop relationships with people at high risk of violence to change their behaviors and social norms and connect them to services for housing, food, employment and education.
Mims also spoke directly to Dayton’s kids on Sunday.
“To our kids right now: We love you, and we need you to help us by loving yourself, your friends, your neighbors, teammates, and classmates,” he said. “And we have to do a better job as adults providing programs where you can find things to do with your skills and talents instead of harming each other.”
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