PITTSBURGH — Hundreds of people gathered in downtown Rankin Friday night to honor La’Eva Morrison, the 34-year-old woman shot in the face and killed in Pittsburgh’s popular Strip District Sunday.
Morrison, a mother of two, was killed after a fight got out of hand, family members previously told Channel 11.
Police initially detained three people for questioning but released all of them. The investigation is ongoing.
The Friday crowd was so large it spilled onto the other side of the street. Hundreds of purple and silver balloons formed a waving helium wall, making it difficult to see across the parking lot.
At the center, Morrison’s uncle, James Milton, preached to the crowd about peace and togetherness.
“Her spirit is here!” he exclaimed.
Next to him, Ingrid Eubanks tried to spread some heavenly advice.
“We have a lot of work to do,” Eubanks said, “Throughout the world, there’s people gathering right now for the same reason we’re gathered here today. I hope that there were souls delivered today, so I hope a lot of people’s eyes were opened.”
Amid the calls to stop the violence was the backdrop of knowing Morrison was the third of her siblings to be killed by gun violence. She previously lost two brothers in separate incidents.
As the balloons wafted into the air, the crowd hugged and cried. Some promised to do whatever it took to make sure another release wasn’t necessary.
“Eva had to touch somebody to make them come here,” Milton mused. “She spread her love on everybody that came out.”
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