MIAMI (WSVN) - A South Florida girl who was the innocent victim a shooting is being remembered by her family at a ceremony on the day that would have been her 20th birthday.
Sherdavia Jenkins was 9 years old when her life was cut short by gun violence and now her family is left to remember her and imagine who she could have been at 20 years of age, Wednesday.
“You would only get to see this world, this life for nine years, and then of course some coward would steal away your dream,” said one woman at the ceremony.
The little girl’s father, David Jenkins, said he just misses having birthday parties for his daughter. “I’m missing buying her a birthday gift. I miss the party. I miss bringing the cake home,” he said. “I miss looking at her when she sees the cakes that I bring home. I miss all of that.”
Back in 2006, Sherdavia was caught in the middle of a shooting outside of her Liberty Square house.
“I already know that you would have been somebody because you were born to be somebody,” said one person at the ceremony.
Family and friends celebrated the life of the 9-year-old at the park that was named in her memory, Sherdavia Jenkins Peace Park.
The Jenkins family has plenty of pictures of Sherdavia but they chose one of when she was 6 to go up on the mural. It shows her playing chess and flashing that smile they remember to this day.
A School board member said she believes Sherdavia would want more for her community. “I know she’s looking at us from heaven and hoping that we get it right,” said Dr. Dorothy Bendross-Mindinghall. “I know she’s probably stomping her little foot saying, ‘They don’t get it.’ The children are not being protected.”
Those who knew Sherdavia are coming together with the goal of protecting young children within the community, like the victim, who is now missed.
“Get involved with your children, find out what they’re doing,” said Sherdavia’s mother, Sherrone Jenkins. “Find out where they’re going. Spend as much time with your kids as you can.”
The Jenkins family said they will not waver from their mission to help put an end to gun violence to protect their children. “Some people say that it’s blind optimism, but I call it faith,” the victim’s father said. “It may not happen in my lifetime, but true enough, the violence is gonna stop soon.”
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