NORFOLK, Va. – Maurice Jenkins misses his daughter, Sierra.
“It’s still hard to deal with,” said Jenkins during our conversation Monday, one day before the two-year anniversary of his daughter's death. “This is something that never goes away.”
The 25-year-old Virginian-Pilot reporter was gunned down outside of Chicho’s on Granby Street in downtown Norfolk on March 19, 2022. Devon Harris and Marquel Andrews were also killed in the shooting.
A case against another man charged with the shooting fell apart when witnesses failed to testify. Jenkins said while he’s disappointed over the lack of closure in the criminal case, he’s grateful to the community for keeping his daughter’s memory alive.
“Sierra was just a great young person,” he told me. “I don't say that just because she's my daughter. She honestly was [a great person], and I think as people have had a chance to see her story, they recognize that.”
I asked, “What was your daughter’s biggest contribution to this world?”
Jenkins, with tears welling in his eyes, said, “She just cared so much about people and her community.”
Photos, flowers and messages honoring Jenkins’ daughter, Harris and Andrews have remained outside the Chicho’s where their lives were cut short. Jenkins said over the weekend, family, friends and community members gathered for several events— including a 5.5 mile walk— to celebrate his daughter’s life. They have also created an Instagram account called "The Sierra J Project," with the description "Sierra deserved the world. So we’re going to show the world Sierra."
The Virginia Press Foundation and the Hampton Roads Community Foundation have also established the Sierra Jenkins Scholarship Fund, providing scholarships to Virginia residents pursuing a degree in journalism or communication.
“The scholarship fund is something that will continue to go on year after year,” said Sierra’s father. “People that never knew who she was will have an opportunity to learn a little bit about who she was and what she stood for, and what she did in our community.”
Her father continued, “[Sierra] left a lasting impression on everybody that she came in contact with.”
