Vigil held for 13 year old Harlem girl shot by friend

Yet another candlelight vigil was held for a teen-aged girl who was allegedly shot accidentally by a friend. From the article:

Family and friends shared stories and tears, but Elle's mom, Cynthia Lowe, shared a little more; an important message that she hopes will save other children's lives. "If there is a gun in your home, for God's sake, for your child's sake. Lock it up," she said.

It was a sad day at the Harlem United Methodist Church as family and friends remembered 13-year-old Elle Kelly and the tragic way she died. "This should have never happened to my child. Never," said Lowe.

The shooting, her family says, could and should have been avoided. Her older brother Rhett Kelly works in Law Enforcement. He called these teenage shootings an epidemic that needs to be stopped. "It's tragic and it's senseless and it's something that can really be avoided by being responsible, being responsible parents," he said. "I think a lot of us are still kinda in shock and disbelief that this actually occurred."

Their father agreed. "It was a very unnecessary tragic death that certainly could've been avoided," said Rhett Kelly Sr., father to both Elle and Rhett.

For everyone, it was a death that came all too soon. It was a harsh reality for her young friends. "I said goodbye to her and I said I would see her tomorrow or at the dance and that was the last time I talked to her," said one friend.

Her friend was 14 years old and has been charged with manslaughter. The words of the girl's brother who is a law enforcement officer should be heeded. These shootings have become almost epidemic and are senseless and avoidable.

(see our original report for this case HERE).

All guns in the hands of a child or teen must first pass through the hands of an adult.