Vigil held for 10-year-old killed in apparent road rage shooting
PHOENIX (FOX 10) - As the suspect sits behind bars tonight, the community is remembering 10-year-old Summer Brown.
A vigil for Brown was held on April 5, with people bringing items a little girl would love, like stuffed animals and flowers.
Dozens gathered to pray for the Brown family - a community bonded together over the sweet young soul they know as Summer Brown.
They had just seen her Wednesday. Classmates of 10-year-old Summer Bell Brown holding onto each other through the pain, staring at her photo lit up with candles under balloons in her favorite color: purple
"I never would have imagined a normal day just coming home would end like this," said Taniesha Brown, Summer's mother.
Two days after her daughter was shot and killed in the passenger seat behind her, Taniesha's community poured its love into her. Summer's fifth-grade teacher brought the last picture she drew.
"I have 32 students in my classroom," said Rebecka Johnson, Summer's teacher. "31 now, and it's just devastating. I've never lost a student before, so it's heartbreaking.
A student - always eager to get her work done, beaming with kindness.
"She'd give me a hug every single day," said Kristen Nelson, Summer's fourth-grade teacher. "She never missed a day without giving me a hug. That was the kind of girl she was."
20-year-old Joshua Gonzalez is the accused shooter in the apparent road rage situation that led to Summer's death. Her mother says a coworker of the suspect broke down in front of her.
"One of the guys came by here and he came to us crying," Taniesha said. "He said, 'I'm so sorry" [and] he said 'I saw what happened' and I [saw] him. He was like, 'I work with him.' And he came to work the next day like it was nothing."
Now he must face justice as Summer Brown's family vows to keep her alive.
"I just really hope that she's at peace," Taniesha said.
And the family does need help putting Summer to rest. The Brown family has created a GoFundMe page to assist with funeral costs.