NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – “I was actually looking in Kiki‘s eyes as she died,” said Lena Rawlings about her 21-year-old daughter, Keira Johnson.
The mother’s pain is still felt almost seven years after her daughter was shot and killed in Newport News.
Rawlings said her daughter’s killers are out there, and she believes that people know who they are.
Back in June 2015, a bullet came through Keira’s bedroom in the family’s home off Circuit Lane in Newport News.
Rawlings said it struck Keira in the heart.
She said her daughter made it to her father’s bedroom, where she collapsed after being shot.
Rawlings said she was by her daughter’s side when she died.
The energetic and funny young woman was gone.
“People just love being around Kiki,” said Rawlings.
She had the nickname "Kiki" all her life.
As the years have passed, no suspects have ever been publicly identified.
Keira’s mother believes her daughter was targeted, but police have not confirmed that.
We asked the police about this in 2015 and again in 2022.
“Unfortunately, we cannot comment on whether Ms. Johnson was targeted or not. The investigation remains ongoing,” according to the Newport News Police Department.
Rawlings said despite the fact that her daughter had a lot of friends, there were people who did not like her and were jealous of her.
This mom believes that people know what happened but are fearful to come forward as they are afraid of being killed, too.
The family has since moved back home to Pennsylvania, but they're still searching for answers.
“I want them to know that it’s not over. We still want the person that did this to Kiki to know that we’re not going to stop looking for you. Just because we move to another state, we are still looking for you,” said Rawlings.
For Crime Line Information in Newport News, click here.
Tips can be submitted anonymously here.
