1 Year After Her Shooting Death, Family Refuses To Give Up On Justice For 6-Year-Old Aniya Allen
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- It was one year ago that 6-year-old Aniya Allen was shot and killed by random gunfire in north Minneapolis.
She was one of three children shot in just three weeks last year.
Nine-year-old Trinity Ottoson-Smith was shot and killed as she jumped on a trampoline at a birthday party, and 10-year old Ladavionne Garrett Jr. was shot as he sat in the back seat of his parents car. He is the only one to survive.
Late Wednesday afternoon, Aniya's family and friends gathered to remember the young girl at 36th and Penn Avenues North in north Minneapolis.
Police need help solving this crime. One of these cases lead to charges, but the other two are still cold.
Community activist KG Wilson says his life has been in a holding pattern same since someone shot and killed his 6 year-old gran daughter, Aniya Allen.
"I've been stuck I'm in the same place I was since last May," said KG Wilson. "We can't heal. You are holding our healing in your hand you are holding our closure in your hand and you who did this: you can end this."
MORE: Aniya Allen: Balloons Released In Minneapolis To Mark 7th Birthday Of Girl Slain In May
Wilson has spent the past year asking the community to help him by providing information that can lead investigators to a killer.
For 18 years, he has been at crime scenes and supported families who lost loved one. He hopes someone in the community steps up to help ease his pain.
"I beg and I plead with them if you know who did this to turn them in when it has to do with a child it's not snitching stop that stop believing that lie it's not. It's saving lives," Wilson said.
"Based on the evidence I don't believe that Aniya or her mom were targets. They just drove into a scene where two groups were shooting at each other," said Lt. Richard Zimmerman.
Zimmerman believes his investigators are getting closer to an arrest in Aniya's case but they still need help from the community.
It was community and law enforcement partners working together who helped get an arrest in the case of Trinity Ottoson-Smith.
"The BCA joined and they came up with some leads they had developed and they put it together and we got the guy charged," said Zimmerman.
New tips are pouring in about the shooting of LaDavionne Garrett Jr., giving investigators hope his case could be solved soon.
Hope is what KG Wilson is holding onto: that someone does the right thing and helps him and the community.
"Yes I want closure for me and my family but what I really want is what I fought for 18 years is to protect the children from the people who are doing these shootings," Wilson said.
There is a $180,000 reward offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the persons responsible for shooting Aniya Allen and LaDavione Garrett Jr.
Call Minneapolis Police or Crimestoppers if you have any information.