MINNEAPOLIS — Tuesday evening friends and family of a 6-year-old girl shot in Minneapolis just a few weeks ago will gather to remember her and pay their respects.
Shiloh Temple, located at 1201 West Broadway Avenue in Minneapolis will host two visitations, one Tuesday from 4 to 6 p.m., and a second on Wednesday, June 2, from 9 to 10 a.m. before her funeral service.
Aniya Allen was shot in the backseat of her family's car in Minneapolis on Monday, May 17. She died from her injuries in the hospital just a few days later. The police have not arrested anyone in connection to her killing.
Allen is just one of three children shot in the past several months in Minneapolis. A 10-year-old boy, Ladavionne Garrett Jr., is still in the hospital fighting for his life after being shot while sleeping in the backseat of his family's vehicle. Another young girl, 9-year-old Trinity Ottoson-Smith, died after being shot in the head while playing on a trampoline.
Minneapolis police say all three shootings are gang related.
Allen's grandfather, activist K.G. Wilson, has been very vocal in his cries for justice.
"I’m saying to you right now. I’m begging you. Turn yourself in. You killed a baby. If it was an accident, turn yourself in," Wilson said at a press conference following her shooting. "Find it in your heart. You can’t be that heartless."
In response to the increase in violence, Minneapolis city leaders are pushing a new plan that would address violent crime, invest in prevention, intervention and enforcement strategies, and a commit to "community-led work and deeper partnerships to address root causes of crime."
"Gun violence is traumatizing our neighborhoods across our city, including and especially right here in north Minneapolis," said Mayor Jacob Frey at a press conference announcing the plan in May.
The plan, backed by some Minneapolis city council members and Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo, includes bringing in the Minnesota BCA to investigate gun crimes, forms a multi-jurisdictional task force to increase patrols, and places a priority on funding for officer overtime.
Minneapolis is also offering a $30,000 reward for information in the cases involving the shooting of the three children.
Church leaders echo these calls for peace and an end to the violence, recently launching the "21 Days of Peace" campaign in north Minneapolis. Community patrols walk the streets in so-called “hotspot” crime areas like Lowry and Logan, with the full blessing of Minneapolis Police and Minnesota's Department of Public Safety.