17-year-old girl killed in Lansing had dreams of being a hairstylist, mother
LANSING — Arianna DeLaCruz was 17 years old, on her way to the store to pick up diapers for her friend's baby, her cousin said, when she was shot and killed.
Arianna was outgoing and always smiling, her cousin, Joe Bermudez, said. She tended to always have people's attention on her.
The Lansing Eastern High School junior talked often about motherhood and wanted to be a hairstylist, Bermudez said, but that was snatched away from her when she was killed Dec. 10 at South Cedar Street and East Miller Road in Lansing.
"Her young life was taken so quickly. She had a full life ahead of her. She was looking forward to it, she had plans," Bermudez said. "Then this happened. It cut it short. You just feel cheated. We got cheated from watching her grow and live."
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Three others were seriously injured in the 4:21 a.m. shooting: an 18-year-old girl, a 16-year-old boy and an infant, police said. As of Friday, all have been released from the hospital and are recovering, Public Information Director Robert Merritt said.
Arianna was the 35th person to die by homicide in the Lansing area this year and the 25th in Lansing. She's the ninth teenager to be killed in Lansing.
Arianna was creative and artistic, according to her obituary. She loved artwork, doing hair and spending time with her family.
"Her time on this earth was cut too short but her memory will live on forever in the lives of those she touched," according to her obituary.
Lemmie Jones, 17, is charged with Arianna's death. He also faces three counts of attempted murder, one count of causing death after shooting from a vehicle and one count of illegally carrying a concealed weapon.
Bermudez said Jones had "no regard for anybody in the car."
Arianna's funeral Dec. 17 was packed, Bermudez said. The young people in attendance stood out and it was difficult to see them mourn.
"Everyone has questions as to why," Bermudez said. "Seeing young people having to cope with this is hurtful."
It saddens Bermudez that kids, whose brains haven't matured yet, are picking up guns and killing each other. If they can't deal with the repercussions of pulling the trigger, they definitely shouldn't be holding the gun, he said.
"I don't think kids even think about consequences at all," Bermudez said. "They're just pulling the trigger."
Contact reporter Kara Berg at 517-377-1113 or kberg@lsj.com. Follow her on Twitter @karaberg95.
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: 17-year-old killed in Lansing had dreams of being a hairstylist, mom
