FORT PIERCE, Fla. — The family of Nakkitia Bryant, a Fort Pierce woman who was shot and killed on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, is making sure that her death is not forgotten.
The family hosted an event Saturday at Phatz on Federal Highway in Fort Pierce to raise awareness and raise money for her daughter and other family members.
Bryant's mother spoke at the event, saying that her daughter's death has left a forever hole in her heart.
"I miss her. There's not a day that goes by that I don't wish that she was here," Bryant's mother Nikkitti White said. "I don't think there's a day that I haven't cried. She was my baby, my everything, my best friend.
"We have a long ways to go. I’m not going to rest until they’re all caught, everybody that’s responsible is held accountable.”
Bryant was attending a MLK Day event at Ilous Ellis Park on Jan. 16 when she and seven others were shot. She was rushed to the hospital but was pronounced dead the next morning.
Kemmye Riccardo was arrested last month in connection to Bryant's death, but Bryant's family's attorney says they know he did not act alone. The St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office says the incident is still under investigation.
Bryant's family is urging anyone with information to come forward to bring justice to Nakkitia and ensure that what happened to her does not happen to anyone else.
“We don’t want to see that somebody gets away with something of this magnitude because it happens often," Bryant's brother Calvin Bethel said. "We want to make sure it happens less and know that if something like this were to happen
"We have a community here in Fort Pierce that will actually actively go out and try to hold people accountable for doing something of this magnitude.”
White's message is clear: If you know something, say something. They say if people in the community with information come forward, it will help bring justice to Nakkitia and ensure that her case is not forgotten.
Fifteen percent of proceeds from Saturday's event at Phatz went to Bryant's family.