“It hurts so bad”: Community and family hold vigil for 5-year-old killed on New Year’s Day

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) - The words are hard to find, but Lyric Thomas’ spirit was easy to see Friday night in north Charlotte.

Dozens of family and community members gathered to hold a vigil for the 5-year-old who was shot and killed early New Year’s Day. It was less than a month after her fifth birthday.

“It hurts so bad, my baby is making me so strong right now,” Lyric’s mother, Christina, said. “She is making me so strong right now, because I can cry, I can scream, I can yell, I can be mad, but I know she’s in a better place. I know she’s in a better place.”

Through the pain and the grief, Lyric’s parents tonight say that their little girl’s memory brings them strength.

“My baby was ball of life, a ball of joy,” Lyric’s father, Naquone, said. “Anybody she was around, anybody she touched, she loved.”

Friday night’s vigil allowed a space for anyone hurting from this tragedy to grieve and mourn together.

“Lyric touched a lot of people in her own special way,” Christina said. “And it’s a lot of people that love her.”

The details surrounding Thomas’ death still remain unclear.

Police are ruling it an accidental death, not a homicide, and are not currently looking for any suspects.

Related: CMPD: Shooting that killed 5-year-old on New Year’s Day accidental

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