A Baltimore family is mourning the loss of 12-year-old Khloe Ishway after a shooting at a youth football event in West Baltimore left her dead and four other people injured.
Khloe was at Leon Day Park on Saturday evening when gunfire erupted near a youth football homecoming game. Baltimore police said the shooting followed an argument between two men over a parking spot. Khloe was caught in the crossfire.
Police said officers were called to the park on North Franklintown Road around 6:15 p.m. after reports of a shooting. Khloe was taken to a hospital, where she was later pronounced dead. A 25-year-old woman was also hospitalized and was reported to be in stable condition. Three men and women, ages 28, 23 and 35, also suffered gunshot wounds and were reported to be stable.
For Khloe’s family, the circumstances have made an already devastating loss even harder to understand.
Her mother, Kristin Reese, said the family had not planned to spend much time at the park. They had gone there to drop something off when the shooting happened.
Now, Reese is left remembering her daughter for the moments that had nothing to do with the violence that took her life. Family members described Khloe as a loving girl who enjoyed dancing, music and being around the people closest to her.
“She was always with me. That was my best friend,” Khloe’s grandmother said, remembering how the 12-year-old called her every day.
Family wants answers after shooting
The shooting happened close to a youth football game, raising concern among families who had gathered at the park that evening.
Baltimore Police Commissioner Richard Worley said the gunfire resulted from an argument over a parking space and that Khloe was an unintended victim caught between the shooters.
The youth football organization involved in the event also said the shooting was not connected to the football game or a dispute between the participating teams. According to the organization, the argument began in the neighborhood above the park.
Police have not independently confirmed that specific account but have confirmed that a parking dispute preceded the shooting.
Khloe’s mother said she wants whoever is responsible to be held accountable.
Her grief has been accompanied by a simple demand: justice for her daughter.
A family remembers Khloe as more than a victim
For those who loved Khloe, the focus now is on the girl she was before the shooting.
Her mother said Khloe will always be her baby and that she will carry her memory with her. Her grandmother is also facing the painful silence left behind by the loss of someone who had become part of her daily routine.
“Khloe, I love you and I miss you,” her mother said. “You forever 12.”
The family has also planned a peace walk in Khloe’s honor as relatives and members of the community come together to remember her.
As of the latest police information available, investigators were continuing to follow leads in the case and no suspect had been taken into custody. Police have asked anyone with information about the shooting to come forward.
For Khloe’s family, however, the investigation is only one part of what comes next. They are also left with the task of remembering a 12-year-old whose life ended while she was near a place where children had gathered to play football.
She was supposed to go home that evening.
Instead, her family is preparing to live with her absence.
