Tears, comforting words and 'Happy Birthday' shared at vigil for slain Hopewell child

HOPEWELL — The candles lighted Tuesday night should have been on P'aris Mi-Unique Angel Moore's birthday cake. Instead, they were in the hands of her mourners in a neighborhood church parking lot.

A vigil was held Tuesday night in the city's Arlington neighborhood memorializing the little girl killed last week in what police think was a drive-by shooting. A crowd in excess of 300 people from around the city and across the region filled the lot on what would have been her ninth birthday.

Mourners wiped tears from their eyes at the thought of P'aris losing her life as abruptly as she did. They held on to each other trying to comprehend why her life was taken. They prayed for her and her family. They herard words of encouragement from friends and community leaders. They chanted her name several times.

They also sang "Happy Birthday" to her, but not in the traditional way. Since P'aris was an avid TikTok fan, the song had to be sung inTikTok style.

"All we can think about is P'aris today because she was the 'lit' one. All she wanted to do was have a good time," her aunt Lesha Moore Barnes said after the song was sung. "My baby said, 'Auntie, I'm turning nine. No more little eight ... big nine."

Barnes said P'aris had planned to celebrate her birthday "by herself" because she and her sister shared a birthday so close together.

"The party was about both of them," Barnes said. "But today was about her."

A bicycle adorned with balloons stood in front on the crowd as a reminder that Tuesday was her birthday.

A litany of speakers offered prayers, comforting words and calls for a stop to the gun violence that has been plaguing Hopewell in recent years.

"If the death of a child cannot ignite the fire in the community to stand for justice, then I don't know what will," Hopewell businessman Tavorise Marks said. "This needs to be the catalyst for the change we need in the city."

Marks urged anyone who may know something about the suspects to share that knowledge with authorities. He mentioned he was offering a $500 reward for the info that leads to the capture of the suspect, and that prompted someone in the crowd to say they would match that amount. The matches then kept on coming, and by the end of the night, the reward fund had reached $4,000.

"Snitches don't get stitches," Charles Willis, leader of the Richmond group United Communities Against Crime, added after the reward fund grew. "Snitches get paid!"

Hopewell school superintendent Dr. Melody Hackney told the crowd she was representing "the sea in pink" in the middle of the crowd — the teachers and staff of Harry E. James Elementary School where P'aris was a second-grader. She also said she was representing everyone else in the school "who loved this child" and was touched by her presence.

Hackney mentioned a quote about living "in a world of outrageous pain" that can only be repaired with "outrageous love," and said she thought that would be P'aris' legacy on Hopewell.

"It's sad that it took this [homicide] to mobilize the community," Hackney said. "But it has."

More:Community walks to remember child killed in Hopewell drive-by shooting last week

State Sen. Joe Morrissey, D-Chesterfield, recalled a recent conversation between two of his young children about P'aris' death. One of the children wanted to know why P'aris died, and the other said it was because "God wanted her with him instead of on this earth."

So far, no motive for the shooting has been reported, nor has it been publicly stated what kind of weapon was used, but Morrissey said he suspected it was a high-powered weapon. Therefore, he added, he plans to introduce legislation when the General Assembly convenes next Wednesday to ban public possession of what he called "those weapons of war," AK-47 and AR-15 assault guns.≝

Petersburg pastor Belinda Baugh also spoke during the vigil. Baugh is known around Petersburg for her work with families of homicide victims and other criminal violence.

"This violence is something I've been chasing for quite some time," said Baugh, the pastor of New Divine Worship Center. "And as we go before God in prayer, we need you to do something as a community, and that is to keep your eyes open. Open up your doors, lift up your blinds. And anything you see that looks like it is up to no good, you need to call somebody. Protect each other."

Wednesday morning, the funeral arrangements for P'aris were announced.

A public viewing will be held from noon - 8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 6 at Tucker Funeral Home on Halifax Street in Petersburg. The next day at 1 p.m., a service will be conducted at Metropolitan Baptist Church, also on Halifax Street in Petersburg.

In the meantime, an investigation into her death is ongoing. Anyone with information about the crime or the suspect is asked to contact Hopewell Police at (804) 541-2284 or Crime Solvers at (804) 541-2202. Info may also be shared through the P3Tips mobile app.

Bill Atkinson (he/him/his) is an award-winning journalist who covers breaking news, government and politics. Reach him at batkinson@progress-index.com or on Twitter at @BAtkinson_PI.

This article originally appeared on The Progress-Index: Slain Hopewell girl grieved at candlelight vigil in the city