A 16-Year-Old Girl Was 'Always Smiling.' Her Ex-Boyfriend Allegedly Killed Her.
Funeral services were held Monday for a 16-year-old Kentucky girl who was fatally shot last week, allegedly by another teen believed to have been her ex-boyfriend, according to the local sheriff.
Gaymee Paw suffered a single gunshot wound to the head on June 21 at around 12:30 p.m., according to the Daviess County Sheriff’s Office, on Willett Road, a nonresidential street that borders Ben Hawes Park in the city of Owensboro. She was taken by ambulance to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
According to her obituary, Paw’s family is Karenni, an ethnic minority of Myanmar, and she was born in Thailand. She and her brother, LuLu, moved to the U.S. with their father, Mee Reh, 12 years ago. Paw was recently named student of the month at Owensboro High School, where she just completed her freshman year.
Gaymee Paw's family moved to the United States 12 years ago.
One friend wrote in the obituary guestbook that she had an “incredible impact” on people’s lives and told her friend that “no matter what was going on you always walk with happiness and made every one laugh with your funny jokes.”
Paw’s heartwarming obituary seemed to nod to her sense of humor, teasing the teen for her driving skills while noting her altruism, strong faith and many achievements in volleyball.
“Although her driving ability was concerning, she had recently gotten her learner’s permit,” it says. “She thoroughly enjoyed swimming, shopping, good eyelashes, very spicy food and mint chocolate ice cream.”
“Gay Mee was thought of as ‘the best sister’ and generally a happy person. She will be dearly missed by many, including her beloved cat, Coco,” the obituary says.
“Sharing some of our sweet Gay Mee’s light in this heart breaking time,” Foust Elementary School math teacher Emily Coomes wrote on Facebook in a post asking others to share pictures of the teen, which they did by the dozen. ”She holds a very special place in our heart and is truly part of our Foust Family. We will never forget the constant smile she wore on her face and love she spread to the world.”
Paw planned to become a teacher and had “already mapped out” some of her education plans, according to her obituary.
“Gaymee was a light and she will forever be missed,” Amber Parker Brown, another Foust teacher, added. “That sweet smile. Gone too soon.” Jill Heilig Leigh, who was Paw’s eighth-grade teacher at Burns Middle School in Owensboro, wrote, “My heart is so broken. She was always smiling and always happy.”
Paw was a “beloved daughter, sister and friend,” her cousin Eleonor Poe wrote in a GoFundMe she organized to help the family with funeral expenses.
A 16-year-old boy has been charged with Paw’s murder, tampering with physical evidence and possession of a handgun by a minor, the sheriff’s office said. His name is not being released because he is a juvenile.
Paw and the alleged shooter went to school together, Sheriff Brad Youngman told the Messenger-Inquirer. “At one point in time they were boyfriend-girlfriend.” Youngman did not respond to requests for comment by HuffPost.
Authorities made an additional arrest Monday in connection with Paw’s killing. A 17-year-old male has been charged with tampering with physical evidence, possession of a handgun by a minor and unlawfully providing/permitting a minor to possess a handgun. Both suspects are being held at the Warren County Regional Juvenile Detention Center in Bowling Green, Kentucky.
The alleged shooter is set to be arraigned Wednesday. Daviess County Attorney John C. Burlew told HuffPost that he hopes a judge agrees to his request to have him tried as an adult. The other teen has yet to have a detention hearing, and Burlew noted that if he is detained, he too may be “eligible for a transfer to adult court.”
“This is a very sad case of a senseless murder,” Burlew told HuffPost. “I will prosecute it to the fullest extent that I can.”
