Family, friends remember Moreno Valley girl, 6, killed by gunfire
A candlelight vigil was held in Victorville on Monday night to remember a 6-year-old girl who was shot and killed over the weekend while attending a family gathering.
Witnesses told KTLA-TV that Tiana Ricks and her father, Tyrell Ricks Jr., 26, were standing in the driveway of a Moreno Valley home Sunday when two men walked up, confronted them and opened fire.
Tiana died at a local hospital. Her father, who was hospitalized in stable condition, has since been and is at home recovering, said Tyrell Rick, Tiana’s grandfather.
A makeshift memorial filled with teddy bears, candles and an angel figurine was erected near the spot of the shooting. On Monday, dozens of people came out to mourn the loss of the little girl whom family members affectionately called TiTi.
“I got her backpack in my car with her clothes, her school uniform,” Tiana’s grandfather said. “She should have went to school this morning. I was supposed to be picking her up from school at 5:30, not at the morgue.”
Authorities are still looking for suspects. Riverside County Sheriff’s Sgt. Lisa McConnell said Tuesday that the fatal shooting could “possibly be gang related.” However, she added, it is not believed that Ricks was involved in gang activity.
Authorities encouraged anyone with information about the incident to call investigators at the Riverside County Sheriff’s Central Homicide Unit at (951) 955-2777 or the Moreno Valley Police Department at (951) 486-6700.
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