MUNCIE, Ind. — "I'm devastated. Complete and utter disbelief," Lashona Gillard said.
Gillard and her family said they're dealing with tragedy after tragedy after the deaths of two family members. The latest occurred just a week ago, when her 15-year-old cousin, Tay Phillips, was shot and died outside the family's apartment in the 2900 block of North Elgin Street, near East McGalliard Road.
"At any given second, I can break, but I just think about both of their bright spirits and his mom, bright spirit, and push forward. That's what I have to do," Gillard said.
Gillard became Phillips' guardian after the death of his mom.
"Slight adjustment in the beginning, but we worked it out," Gillard said. "He had to just adjust from my rules because I'm a strict mom. It wasn't like, OK, cousin standpoint. I stepped in as a mom figure."
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Gillard said if she could change anything, she'd trade places with her young cousin.
"Because he deserves to shine. He deserves to have his goals and live his goals and live his dreams. I would give up my life in an instant for my baby," Gillard said.
Phillips' other cousins remember him as a hardworking young man.
"He loved getting them for school. He was on those kids. I was up early, had everything sat out. He was making himself breakfast. He had his clothes laid out, make it, make his little spot," one of his cousins said.
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Tia Wells set up part of a memorial for the boy she didn't even know after hearing about Phillips' death.
"I felt like somebody needed to be his mother when his mother wasn't here. I feel like his mother would have done something similar," Wells said.
Wells said hearing about the violence involving young kids is just too much.
"Breaks my heart and kills me. I'm literally in pieces. This whole week, I've been crazy," Wells said.
Memorial for 15-year-old killed in Muncie shooting
Over the summer, Phillips participated in the Muncie Teen Summer Internship program. His boss, George Foley, got to know him well. He also described Phillips as a hardworking kid.
"He was an ambitious young man. When he came in for his interview, just was asking for a chance, and so we interviewed him. He did a great interview. We hired him. He worked all six weeks for the program, and so we had no problems from him," Foley said. "He went and opened a bank account on his own, so he kind of learned that financial literacy by opening an account. Somebody, a guardian, had to go sign, but he was attempting to do it on his own. He was a great kid in the program."
Foley said hearing the news was hard.
"For his life to be taken, it was very hurtful. Like I said, I had a few tears in my eyes because I just knew I didn't know him a long time, but I knew that he was trying to be better. And so for somebody to take his life at such a young age, it was very hurtful that day," Foley said.
"We got to put these guns (away), and this violence has to come to an end," Gillard said.
Gillard said Phillips would want everyone to love each other.
"He loved people. He loved everybody. It didn't matter who you was. He was more than willing to step in your life and be a bright sunshine," Gillard said.
Now, a family and a community are coming together to try to fix the problem while loving each other.
The Delaware County Prosecutor's Office has filed formal charges against four teenagers for their alleged roles in the deadly shooting.
Here are the charges each person is facing:
- Robert Graham III, 17, of Muncie — murder, with a firearm sentence enhancement; robbery resulting in serious bodily injury; conspiracy to commit robbery resulting in serious bodily injury; obstruction of justice
- K-Shaun English, 16, of Muncie — murder, robbery resulting in serious bodily injury; conspiracy to commit robbery resulting in serious bodily injury; obstruction of justice
- Dasha Eckford, 19, of Muncie — conspiracy to commit robbery resulting in serious bodily injury; aiding, inducing or causing robbery resulting in serious bodily injury; obstruction of justice
- Ricky Nathan, 19, of Muncie — conspiracy to commit robbery resulting in serious bodily injury; aiding, inducing or causing robbery resulting in serious bodily injury; obstruction of justice
On Friday, Aug. 23, a judge ordered that both Graham and English would be held at the Delaware County Jail without bond. They are being moved from a juvenile detention facility because they are charged as adults.
On Thursday, Aug. 22, the prosecutor's office filed a murder charge against English.
The prosecutor's office said it is also filing a petition with the juvenile court for permission to file formal charges against a 14-year-old boy for his alleged role in the incident.