Family, friends mourn teen
Brie Thompson, sister of 19-year-old Alexis Barnett, grieves during a vigil Friday evening on Bruce Street in Washington. A large group gathered at the site to remember Barnett, who was gunned down Wednesday while walking along Bruce Street with a group of friends.
Two days after 19-year-old Alexis Barnett was gunned down in the 1100 block of Bruce Street, a large group gathered at the site to remember the woman and comfort her grief-stricken family. Among them were her father, Larry Thompson, left, and cousin, Alonzo Timsley.
A large group gathered at the site to remember Alexis Barnett, who was gunned down Wednesday while walking along Bruce Street with a group of friends.
A large group gathered at the site to remember Alexis Barnett, who was gunned down Wednesday while walking along Bruce Street with a group of friends.
Editor’s note: This story has been modified from a previous version to correctly identify Alyssa Wise as Alexis Barnett’s sister.
Two days after 19-year-old Alexis Barnett was gunned down in the city’s 1100 block of Bruce Street while walking with friends, a large group gathered at the site to remember the woman who was described as “always happy,” and to comfort her grief-stricken family.
More than 120 people, including Barnett’s family and friends, mourned the loss of a young woman who they said had a beautiful smile, a big heart and a gift of making people feel good about themselves.
“Alexis always had a smile on her face,” longtime friend Emmalea Beck said.
“She had a great personality that would light up a room. Growing up with her, I saw how much she matured and grew up into a beautiful young woman. She was always determined to succeed in everything she did.”
Washington police said Barnett, who was shot in the back while walking with friends at about 9:40 p.m. Wednesday, was “in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
The 2015 Washington High School graduate attended her grandmother’s funeral earlier in the day.
“She didn’t deserve this,” said Barnett’s sister, Brie Thompson, in tears. “I can’t deal with this … I’m disgusted, I’m angry. We lost two people in a week. Somebody shouldn’t have to bury their mother to turn around four hours later to get a phone call that their daughter is in the hospital fighting for her life.”
“That’s not fair to anybody. That’s not fair to our family. Put the freaking guns down,” she pleaded.
A black-and-white photograph of Barnett was set atop a table where family members and friends placed flowers, stuffed animals and candles.
A drizzle prevented mourners from lighting candles, but they released red, heart-shaped balloons after saying in unison, “We love you, Alexis.”
Barnett’s father, Larry Thompson, who broke down in tears throughout the vigil, thanked everyone for supporting his family by attending and said there is “no reason I should be here today doing this.”
“I want this about my daughter,” he said. “God knows, I can never understand this. This is for my daughter, someone who for no reason at all was taken from me, someone that if you knew her smile, if you knew her personality, if you knew the person she was, you gotta look at God and ask why. You gotta test your faith because I’m sure testing mine … this girl was so strong. She was a great person. Anybody who had any association with her loved this girl.”
Thompson said he blames his daughter’s death on “somebody not being a good parent,” and encouraged parents to do a better job of making sure their children don’t get involved in drugs and illegal activities.
“We didn’t just lose my baby, we lost more kids to the streets,” he said, asking the crowd to let the people you love know that you love them.
“There’s no way I ever thought when I kissed my baby’s cheek that it would be the last time,” he said.
Barnett’s cousin, Kiera, said Alexis was “always happy. She used to make me feel pretty. She would do my hair for me and do my makeup.
“She used to make up her own language and then have a conversation with you in her language,” said Kiera, as the crowd laughed.
Barnett’s sister, Alyssa Wise, read a note from Barnett’s younger sister, who is deaf.
Said Wise, “she really misses her sister. She loved her, she was pretty and she was funny. And she played with her.”
Near the end of the vigil, Thompson grew incensed when he smelled what he believed was marijuana, and yelled, “This is about my baby, you ignorant ass. This is the problem. If someone is smoking marijuana, I will call the police.”
During the opening prayer, Paula Brower asked for the community, family and friends to unite around Barnett’s family, and for God to grant the family strength to endure their loss. She also asked for anyone who might have information about the shooting to share that information with police.
A GoFundMe donations collection page created by a family cousin has been set up to help cover the costs of the funeral. The page is at https://www.gofundme.com/22pras4.