Candlelight vigil held for Shaquise Buckner, teen killed in drive-by

CHICAGO (WLS) -- There was an outpouring of sympathy and support as classmates and family of 16-year-old Shaquise Buckner gathered Sunday night at a vigil for the latest innocent victim of Chicago gun violence.

The girl was a sophomore at Perspectives Charter School, where the vigil was held.

Buckner was shot and killed early Saturday in the 7200 block of South Laflin in the West Englewood neighborhood.

She was a straight A student, and a popular one, as well. It was her classmates who organized Sunday night's vigil.

"I'm trying to stay strong, so I need all of you to help me," said Katrina Goodman, the victim's mother.

"It don't even feel real," said Parisha Brown, the victim's cousin. "It don't feel real at all. I can't even. The last time I seen her she was in a room playing."

The candlelight vigil was held on the campus of perspectives math and science academy where the 16-year-old was a rising sophomore. She was just a week away from the start of the school year.

"She was a good student," said Perspectives Academy Principal Julie Puzon. "Strong amongst her peers and on her way to AP classes to help her be successful."

According to police, Buckner was not the intended target of the drive-by shooting that killed her. But a 20-year-old man injured along with her may have been. The shooting took place just before 1 a.m. Saturday.

"I sat on that ground and talked to my cousin, I told her 'I love you so much.' I told her I'm so, so angry with this world, it's so devastating what is going on," said Sharon Mallory, the victim's cousin.

Sunday night's vigil ended with a show of unity, hands joined in prayer.

"It wasn't her time," the victim's aunt, Lartonja Hill, said. "This violence has to stop. It has to stop. If all of our kids are being killed off there is not going to be a future for anybody."

Funeral services for Buckner are still pending. Police say the investigation into the shooting is ongoing.