Family members of Aaliyah Boyer, 10, who was killed by celebratory gunfire on New Year’s Day, hope to prevent other families from suffering a similar tragedy.
Aaliyah was known for her bright smile, bright clothes and even brighter personality.
She was watching New Year’s fireworks with relatives in Maryland, when she was struck in the head by a stray bullet of celebratory gunfire. Aaliyah died two days later.
For her family in Manheim, Lancaster County, where she lived all her life, the world has been turned upside down.
“It’s been really difficult,” said Kayla Lindsey, Aaliyah’s 12-year-old sister. “She used to get scared and lay in my bed at night, but now, she’s not there.”
Detectives at the Cecil County Sheriff’s Office still haven’t found the person who fired the fateful shot.
With a petition on WhiteHouse.gov, Aaliyah’s family is urging the President and Congress to pass a federal law banning celebratory gunfire and call it “Aaliyah’s Law.”
“Since Aaliyah passed away, if this happened to other kids it would just be a tragedy,” Lindsey said.
The petition needs at least 100,000 signatures in order to be reviewed. As of Tuesday night, it had a little more than 100. But Kayla Lindsey is holding out hope.
“If you have an internet or anything, we ask you to sign it because it’s really important to the family and to the community,” she said. “I think it’ll be a big benefit.”
Aaliyah’s family is still working to pay off her funeral and is also hoping the community can help them give their little girl the headstone she deserves.
“She had meant a lot to us,” said Aaliyah’s grandfather Richard Lindsey. “She was such a pretty girl. We want something nice for her. We want to get a nice headstone for her, because she struck a lot of lives.”
To help the family pay for the headstone, you can donate to the Aaliyah Boyer Fund at any Susquehanna Bank branch.