WASHINGTON, D.C., USA — A police presence can still be seen along Hartford Street, Southeast, Saturday morning, following a shooting that claimed the life of a 3-year-old little girl. Ty'ah Settles, was shot and killed while inside a car Friday night.
On Saturday afternoon a memorial was set up for Settles by her godfather.
"Some things that I bought for her," said Bernard Brown, Settles' godfather. "She loved Mickey Mouse, and she loved the doll babies.”
Brown came to make sure his goddaughter is remembered.
“Ty’ah, she was a great young child," Brown said. "She was three years old. She had the smarts of a 7-year-old. She was very smart.”
A bright spot in Brown’s life senselessly taken. “We loved her very much," he said.
Police told WUSA9 Settles was shot just after 9 p.m., then airlifted to a hospital where she was pronounced dead.
In the day that followed, the daylight revealed at least five cars on either side of Hartford Street, Southeast were hit with gunfire. A witness told WUSA9 she heard 20 to 30 shots.
"When I woke up this morning, I was still a little shaken, a little taken that damn, we lost a little girl in our community for absolutely nothing," said DC Councilmember Trayon White who represents Ward 8, where the shooting happened. “These individuals doing these crimes, they are our nephews, nieces, cousins, sons, they live around here. They’re not coming from nowhere else. We have to start changing the narrative for what we see and deem acceptable in our community.”
DC Police are searching for the suspect or suspects responsible for Settles’ death.
Her family is in disbelief and praying for justice.
“She didn’t deserve this," said Brown. “I would rather it be me than her.”