Nyah Hairston was headed home from work on Friday, May 3. She was just minutes away. But she never made it.
Maryland State Police were initially called to reports of a car in a ditch off the Capital Beltway (Interstate 495) near Landover Road. When they arrived, they found that Hairston had been shot. She was taken to a hospital, where she died. She was just 20 years old.
Police are still working to learn who shot Hairston and why.
“We’ve just been devastated ever since,” Florence James, Hairston’s great-aunt, told News4.
“When you talk about Nyah, you smile, because she made everybody happy,” she said. “She wanted people to know that things could happen for people with positive goals.”
Hairston started her own hairstyling business and was passionate about her work. She was close to her loved ones and loved to travel.
“She just wanted a positive life, and she was on her way,” her great-aunt said. “She was on her way and this tragic situation happened to her.”
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State police are still searching for the shooter and have not made any arrests. They’re still trying to piece together exactly where Hairston was driving when she was shot. The hope is that someone out there saw something that could help lead police to Hairston’s killer.
“Please just say something. She should not have been hurt like that and killed. Not Nyah. Not Nyah,” James said.
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Hairston was laid to rest on Thursday. Her family said their faith and support from the community are giving them strength.
“We’re gonna have anger. We’re gonna have sorrow. We’re gonna cry. But we’re going to acknowledge her every day of our lives,” Hairston’s great-aunt said.
Anyone with potentially relevant information on the shooting is asked to contact police.
