Grieving family pleading for answers after Sally Ntim is fatally shot in the Bronx
NEW YORK -- A grieving family is pleading for answers after a Bronx woman was shot and killed Tuesday.
Police say she was an innocent bystander who died a day after her 23rd birthday.
Sally Ntim's family says her fun-loving spirit matched her unforgettable laugh. She had an entrepreneurial spirit with big dreams of building a haircare business and was the youngest of three sisters.
"For a lot of people, they know her for her face and her smile, her laugh, but, like, she creates moments with so many people," said Desire Ntim, one of the victim's sisters.
But this moment, the 23-year-old's family could have never imagined -- wearing black to mourn her death.
They say she was an innocent bystander caught in a hail of bullets in the Bronx.
"I know they say when you live by the gun, you die by the gun, but the girl lived by laughs, she lived by love," Ntim told CBS2's Aundrea Cline-Thomas.
After getting food with her best friend, Sally was among a group surveillance video shows gathered at the intersection of McClellan Street and Sheridan Avenue around 8:30 p.m. Tuesday when someone walked up and started shooting.
Ntim's family said Sally tried to take cover in a car when she was shot.
Now, a makeshift memorial at the scene honors Sally's life as she joins a devastating but growing list of gun violence victims.
"New York state, we have laws. We have the most strict gun laws in this country, and yet and still, the Bronx leads in the shootings," Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark said.
Clark and other leaders gathered at the steps of the courthouse to support Rep. Ritchie Torres' legislation that would target ghost gun manufacturers. It's unclear if that played a role in Sally's death.
Shooting incidents in the Bronx are up more than 30% this year.
"I can't believe Sally's gone. I can't believe it," said Lily Aramyah, Sally's mother.
For the Ntim family, new laws and initiatives are too late. Now, they just want answers.
Police say they are looking for two shooters. In the meantime, the Ntim family has set up a GoFundMe page to help with burial costs. To donate, click here.
