Vigil for 8-year-old Tiana Huddleston held outside the home where the girl was killed by gunfire
Family and friends of 8-year-old Tiana Huddleston gathered Tuesday evening outside the home where she was killed after, police say, someone was handling a gun that discharged and struck the girl.
"I don't know how to live without my daughter," said Tiana's mother Marquita Traylor.
The grieving mother didn't speak long as she was overcome with emotion. Instead, Tiana's aunt, LaToya Singleton, spoke on behalf of the family.
Singleton shared that Tiana was non-verbal autistic but that didn't stop the 8-year-old from communicating her love. "Tiana would walk up to you and it's all hands, she would rub your face, she'd want to kiss your face," said Singleton.
"A lot of people probably are wondering like where was mom?" Singleton said. Traylor was at Children's Hospital picking up insulin for another child, Singleton said
Tiana was placed in the care of her father and siblings while Traylor went to the hospital, Singleton said.
"It's unfortunate that my sister had to go to help her other kid and thought her baby was safe. No guns were in the house, there's seven children here. No guns were in the house," said Singleton.
The circumstances of the death have yet to be released by the Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office. Singleton said the child's father has been arrested in the case. Police will only say they have arrested a 47-year-old man. Records show Tiana's father is 47 years old.
Singleton said due to the circumstances of the death, the family has been contacted by Child Protective Services. "CPS is all over here, not sending condolences, but to question the kids for hours," said Singleton.
Singleton said the family has been exhausted and lost with some of the arrangements following Tiana's death. "We need a lot of help," she said.
The family set up a GoFundMe page with a goal of raising nearly $8,400 for funeral arrangements.
"This is extremely hard, this is extremely devastating, this is extremely, extremely heartbreaking," said Singleton.
Although she was non-verbal autistic, Tiana was advanced for her age, Singleton said. The girl's aunt wants people to remember Tiana as a loving, caring child who was healthy and happy.
"There's no room she'd walk in to and she'd have a big smile on her face ... she was healthy, she was happy, she was loved, she still is loved."
Last year, shootings in Milwaukee injured 137 children and killed 48, a 33% increase in child victims from 2020, according to the Homicide Review Commission. It’s unclear how many young children were harmed in unintentional shootings, but at least two children — ages 2 and 3 — died in 2021 after they or another child got hold of a gun and accidentally discharged it.
Nationally in 2020, there were at least 369 accidental shootings by children, causing 142 deaths and 242 injuries, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. From March to December 2020, unintended shooting deaths by kids rose more than 30% compared to the same period in 2019.
How to safely store a gun
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, roughly a third of U.S. homes with children have guns, and even young toddlers are capable of finding unlocked guns and are strong enough to pull the trigger.
The academy recommends guns be locked away and ammunition locked and stored separately. Children and teens should not be able to unlock the boxes that store firearms and guns that are loaded and unlocked should not be stored in a car or anywhere else on your property.
The academy recommends guns be unloaded any time they are set down. Gun owners should also use gun locks, which are free and readily available at multiple locations in Milwaukee.
How to get a free gun lock
The Milwaukee Fire Department provides free gun locks, with no questions asked, at its firehouse locations. A directory of firehouse locations is available on the city website.
The Milwaukee Police Department also provides free gun locks for free at district locations, although it is recommended that members of the public call in advance. A directory of Milwaukee police district locations is available on the city website.
Contact Drake Bentley at (414) 391-5647 or DBentley1@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @DrakeBentleyMJS.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Vigil for 8-year-old Tiana Huddleston near home where she was killed
