A Brooklyn community came together to mourn the loss of a young life cut short. The family of 19-year-old Samyia Spain laid her to rest Saturday.
“Always smiling, infectious smile, infectious personality, she was always like the life of the party,” West Gordon, one of Samyia’s mentors, said. “She was a beautiful young person that didn’t deserve to die that way, and she was young and had a whole life ahead of her. And it was promising.”
What You Need To Know
- Samyia Spain and her twin sister were stabbed outside of their go-to deli in Park Slope earlier this month
- Family, friends and community members attended 19-year-old Spain's funeral Saturday
- Attendees remembered Spain for being a beautiful person with a infectious smile, calling her death a great loss
- The suspect, 20-year-old Veo Kelly, faces multiple charges including murder and assault. He has pleaded not guilty
Some showed out in lavender in a nod to Samyia’s favorite color.
Heartbroken family members and friends were still grieving nearly two weeks after her death. Samyia was fatally stabbed in front of her twin sister, Sanyia, outside of their go-to deli in Park Slope.
Their family is now forever impacted by what community members described as another act of senseless violence.
“We’re about to bury a 19-year-old. Her twin is about to bury her,” Public Advocate Jumaane Williams said. “The city is going through a lot, and what it says to me, the things that we’re doing, is just not addressing public safety that we wanna see, and it’s putting everybody in harm’s way. I am really hoping that we can regroup and really not make the mistakes that we’ve made in the past. Hopefully turn this pain, this anger, into action.”
Samyia would have turned 20 next month.
The suspect, 20-year-old Veo Kelly, is facing multiple charges including murder and assault. He has pleaded not guilty.