Garden honors slain 9-year-old
Za’Layia Jenkins hit by stray gunfire
Volunteers descended on a corner in Milwaukee’s Lindsay Heights neighborhood Sunday to plant flowers, install floral boxes and beautify a garden in honor of Za’Layia Jenkins, one of last year’s youngest victims of gun violence.
The legacy garden sits near N. 15th St. and Meinecke Ave., close to where Za’Layia was killed.
For the planting day Sunday, family and friends added tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, basil, zucchini and eggplant, among other plants. A number of planters were built and donated to the garden.
Za’Layia was inside a relative’s home when she was shot May 5, 2016, just weeks after she had jumped rope with two city police captains and asked if they could keep her safe.
Police said more than 40 shots had been fired, based on the dozens of casings found at the scene. Za’Layia was taken to Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, where she died one day before her 10th birthday.
Za’Layia loved to read books, hated being late to school and tried every activity she could, even mimicking the moves of her favorite athlete, NBA star Stephen Curry, her family has said.
After her death, her greataunt, Ramona Boone, created a flower garden to remember Za’Layia and other young victims of violence.
Though police have made arrests connected to the case, no one has been charged in her killing. Her family has repeatedly asked the public for help in identifying the shooters.
A $65,000 reward is still being offered for information leading to an arrest and conviction in the case. Anyone with information is asked to call police at (414) 935-7360.