Dozens of mourners gathered at Roselawn Park to celebrate the life of Nia Booker, a 9-month-pregnant woman who was shot and killed by 34-year-old Miquan Barfield in Avondale, Ohio.
According to a WCPO report, an argument ensued outside of Booker’s vehicle when Barfield opened fire. At the time, her 7, 8 and 9-year-old were in the backseat of the car.
He immediately fled the scene but was arrested following a police chase that ended with him crashing his car into a fence.
He was placed in jail on a $1.81 million bond.
Following her death, family and friends gathered to release balloons into the heavens.
The victim’s sister Adrianne Frazier said Booker was a loving person with a kind soul, but of everything, she said she would miss her sister’s laugh the most.
“That laugh,” Frazier said. “I’m going to miss that laugh. That laugh could make the walls shake.”
Booker’s aunt Cathy Boston shared how unreal the whole experience has been since losing her niece.
“You never expect it to be your family,” Boston said, “your niece, my Nia Pia. That’s what I called her, my Nia Pia, and it’s unreal.”
Another of Booker’s aunts, Dawn Crooks, recited a poem during the vigil.
“One life committed to the grave, the other now the system’s slave,” she read. “The community loses again.”
Crooks is urging members of the community to bring an end to violence.
“Most of us are not happy about what’s happening in our community,” she said. “Do not let that be the narrative. We don’t sit back and idly shrug our shoulders. We just don’t know where to start.”
To donate to Booker’s family during this difficult time, please visit her GoFundMe account here.
