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Family, friends remember Kempsville High School senior killed in shooting

Posted at 1:49 PM, Jan 16, 2017
and last updated 2017-01-16 23:39:14-05

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - The loved ones of an 18-year-old Kempsville High School teen are still dealing with the shock of her sudden, tragic death.

According to Virginia Beach Police, 18-year-old Sidea Lashae Griffin walked into the hospital just before 10 p.m on Saturday with a gunshot wound and died shortly after.

Detectives working the case were able to identify a juvenile male suspect who was taken into custody and charged with Second Degree Murder and Use of a Firearm.

Griffin's great aunt says she was only a few months away from graduating high school.

"She was our baby, and this is extremely difficult. She was an A student who loved her family, especially her younger siblings," she said.

Griffin's mom was not ready to do an interview on Monday, but she says Sidea was her best friend.

Jessica Corsale told News 3 the same thing.

"I couldn't believe it, I didn't believe it so I didn't know whether to cry, I was kind of just numb," she says, when she found out the news. "I couldn't sleep for the rest of the night."

Corsale says Sidea was in the car with her boyfriend at the time of the shooting.

Now the senior class has to get through prom and graduation without her.

"Griffin comes up and she's not going to walk down the stage, it's probably going to be hard, that's all she really wanted to do."

Corsale was one of many who paid tribute to Griffin at a vigil Monday night.

“When you lose an angel like Sidea was…in the way she was lost…it’s just hard, said Griffin's grandmother Patty McPherson to a crowd of hundreds who first gathered at Kempsville High School before moving to Kempes Landing Park.

At the park 18 balloons were released in honor of Griffin's 18 years of life.

“I used to call her my little model," said her uncle, Richard McPherson. “To lose somebody so young 18-years-old, to snatch her away like that over night…the family is…we’re trying to cope with it.”

Family members are now turning to each other and the community for support.

"She was like my best friend that’s more than a friend. It’s hard to let her go," said Griffin's brother, Isaiah Robertson, who spoke to the crowd in tears.

News 3 is told counselors will be on hand at Kempsville High School all week for students struggling with Griffin's death.

The suspect is being held in the Virginia Beach Juvenile Detention Center without bond.

If you have any information that may help police with their investigation, call the Crime Line at 1-888-LOCK-U-UP.