It rained, but that wasn’t going to stop friends and relatives from remembering Isis Allen, who died July 20 after being shot in the head by 19-year-old Kamau Thomas.
“Come on, come around here. Rain doesn’t stop these thugs from being thugs,” said vigil organizer Jaison Waller, “So come on and be with us.”
Everyone at the Knoxville vigil held hands as Rev. Maurice Trent of Lighthouse Cathedral Church in St. Clair led them in prayer, remembering the girl who liked kickball, cheerleading for youth football and arts and crafts.
“Father, I pray for this community,” said standing in front of the Zara Street house where Allen was shot. “Father, we pray for that young brother that lost his way. Father, I pray that even in that jail cell you will visit him and you will reveal yourself to him.”
Isis was walking on Zara Street with an adult July 17 when a bullet fired by Thomas struck her in the head. After being kept alive for several days at Children’s Hospital of UPMC, doctors pronounced her dead just hours before the vigil—originally scheduled to pray for her recovery—began.
According to police, Thomas, who is from Carrick, shot at the Zara street house to scare Clay “Clips” Thomas, who he said had threatened him. He said he only pulled the trigger once, but that it was ‘sensitive’ and ‘started going crazy and kept going off until it was empty.’
Darnell Henderson, of Beltzhoover, said the community came together for Allen because the violence has to stop. He is part of a larger effort to bring all the Hilltop communities together.
“If somebody don’t step up, or take a chance to change the reality in these neighborhoods, then things will never stop,” he said. “We’ve got to make a difference to ourselves. We can’t be burying no more children out here.”
Thomas remains in the Allegheny County Jail on $1 million bond.
(J.L. Martello contributed to this story.)
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