Charnice Milton was mourned on Alabama Avenue SE Wednesday night, a week after she was fatally shot on her way home from covering a story.
The 27-year-old local news reporter was remembered at a silent vigil attended by her parents, colleagues and community members. Mourners gathered in a circle around copies of stories Milton wrote for the publications East of the River and Hill Rag.
She was remembered as a meticulous reporter dedicated to covering neighborhoods east of the Anacostia River, where she was raised.
"Every night, we came home and that little girl had that light on and she would type up story after story after story," her father, Kenneth McClenton, said. "She never gave up, she never gave in."
Milton was shot by a man on a dirt bike about 9:40 p.m. May 27 on the 2700 block of Good Hope Road SE, D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier said. The gunman, riding in a group of dirt bike riders, was trying to shoot someone in another group of riders, police said. Her parents said they were told their daughter was used as a human shield to protect the intended target of the gunfire.
She attended Ball State University and earned a master's degree in journalism from the prestigious Newhouse School at Syracuse University.
The reporter's parents begged anyone with information about their daughter's death to step forward.
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"There are two men who are out there who can do that which is righteous. Not what's right in their own eyes but that which is righteous in His eyes," McClenton said.
Milton's mother, Francine Milton, said the family is praying for the men involved in the young woman's death.
"We're actually praying for those who would do something like this. Praying for their souls," she said.
Anyone who has information regarding this case is asked to call police at 202-727-9099. Information can also be submitted to the Metropolitan Police Department's text tip line by text messaging 50411.
