NY woman killed at vigil for friend who was fatally shot hours before
Shalimar Birkett was attending Monday's vigil for murder victim Miles Bobbsemple, who was shot dead that morning.
A Brooklyn woman was shot and killed when attending a vigil for a friend who had been killed hours beforehand, late the night before.
According to The New York Daily News, Shalimar Birkett was attending the vigil of shooting victim Miles Bobbsemple, who was shot and killed at a house party during an argument.
The report noted that Bobbsemple was attending the gathering when someone stepped on the foot of another partygoer just after midnight early Monday morning. A fight broke out, and the 31-year-old father of two was shot in the chest.
Birkett, a 32-year-old mother of two young sons, was at the Bobbsemple memorial event Monday night on Park Place near Howard Avenue in Brownsville when two gunmen pulled up in a white sedan and opened fire on the mourners.
The woman was struck in the head and pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.
Read More: NY AG Letitia James adds ‘criminal capacity’ to probe of Trump organization
“It’s like a nightmare,” Birkett’s mother, Patricia Hamilton, told The Daily News. “She was an outgoing, fun person, loved by everyone — all her friends and family.”
Birkett is the second of her children to die by violent means. A son, Neyon Hamilton, was shot and killed in 2018.
Another person who attended Bobbsemple vigil said there was a sizable group out to memorialize him. “It was about 60 to 70 people out here for the vigil,” said Justin Dee. “It was nice and quiet and people were starting to leave.”
Read More: Cuomo to earn millions for book about pandemic leadership despite controversy
“She was shot in the head just lying there,” he said of Birkett. “A guy was over her saying, ‘Stay with me, stay with me.’ But it was nothing you could do.”
Police said the shooting appeared to be gang-related.
Neighbors at the Brownsville home where Bobbsemple was shot said underground parties had become common after the owner of the home died, and squatters took over during the deadly coronavirus pandemic.
Have you subscribed to theGrio’s “Dear Culture” podcast? Download our newest episodes now!
TheGrio is now on Apple TV, Amazon Fire and Roku. Download theGrio.com today!
