IN HER HONOR
Near the fountain at Point State Park, dozens of people gathered around an empty chair Friday evening to sing “Happy Birthday” to a teenager who wasn’t there to hear it.
Many at the gathering held balloons, but their tears told the story of a young girl who lost her life Tuesday.
Alexus Chester was shot on her 17th birthday at a high school graduation party at an Airbnb residence on McNeil Place in the Hill District.
She was looking forward to going to the prom with her boyfriend, getting her driver’s license and graduating from Perry High School next year.
Her mother, Christy Chester, said Alexus wanted to be a pediatrician and always helped to care for her 7-year-old brother, Amir, who has special needs. She loved fashion and wanted to create her own clothing line.
“She was loving, caring. Everyone that came across Alexus, she just touched them,” said Ms. Chester, 42, of the North Side.
To her friends, Alexus was a role model who worked hard in school, looked out for her friends and made sure they attended class.
“She had love in her heart ... she made sure everyone was cared for,” said Keyonna Vasciannie, 15, one of Alexus’ friends and classmates.
Also killed in the shooting was Tyrese Smith, 20. Another person was wounded. Pittsburgh police are still investigating.
Gaye Crowell, 56, of Forest Hills, led a prayer for her great niece at the vigil and asked that the killer be brought to justice.
This wasn’t the first time Alexus’ family had been impacted by gun violence.
Ms. Crowell, whose son, 29year-old Brian Currington, was fatally shot in 2017, said dealing with tragedy repeatedly has been hard on the family. She has also lost a nephew to gun violence, she said.
“We feel like we’re in an ocean, and the waves keep crashing on us,” Ms. Crowell said. “And every time you think you can take a breath, another wave just crashes into your face, and you can just never take a breath — You always
just feel like you can’t bring air into your lungs.”
Ms. Crowell said there was a time that family members kept their phones muted because they were afraid of getting a call with bad news. She said someone would have to text her before calling to make sure she would answer her phone.
“It is so senseless,” Ms. Crowell said. “It keeps reopening the wound ... it’s like having stitches ripped out of your chest after surgery.”
Ms. Chester said she calls police at 7 a.m. every day to see whether there are new leads in her daughter’s case. She said she believes that when people hear about shootings on the news, they assume the victims must have provoked the attack in some way. But Ms. Chester said anyone could have been in her daughter’s position.
“She was not a drug dealer. She was not a thug,” Ms. Chester said. “She was not out here causing any acts of violence.
“She was a child. She was innocent.”