DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — A community is mourning the tragic death of a 7-year-old girl who was killed after stray bullets hit her home more than a week ago.
Officers said on April 12, Mariasia Thomas was sitting on the couch inside her foster parents' Ellenwood home off Satellite Boulevard around 11 p.m. when the house was hit several times by bullets.
Multiple entered through the door and windows - at least one of those hit Mariasia. She was taken to the hospital in serious condition, but police confirmed Monday she died. The alleged shooter is still on the run.
Tuesday evening, a vigil was held to honor the 7-year-old outside the house where the shooting took place. Her biological parents were there, and they want to see justice.
“I felt like my child was going to be in good arms, but now my child is dead and gone," said Mariasia's dad Mario Thomas. He said he's been having sleepless nights ever since he learned about the tragedy.
"My little girls is gone," he said.
Vigil held for 7-year-old killed by stray bullet
Candles were lit and balloons were released, some of them filled with handwritten messages. Mariasia's mom, Chanrica Boyd, said she's still trying to figure out how this could happen.
"They took a precious life. She was just an innocent little girl," Boyd said. "She didn’t deserve to leave this young."
Boyd said she's never met the foster parent who was taking care of Mariasia, but she feels like the system failed her.
"The system took my kids, they say, to help my kids, but took my kids and put my kids in danger," Boyd said.
She claimed she's been working to get housing and her children back for quite sometime.
DeKalb County Police first said they were offering a reward of $5,000 to anyone has has information that can help catch the person responsible for this crime. on April 25, 11Alive confirmed the reward had went up to $10,000.
Mariasia's dad hopes someone comes forward soon.
"I hope they show their face," he said.
Anyone with information about the shooting to call the DeKalb County Police Department at 770-724-7850 or Crime Stoppers at 404-577-TIPS (8477).