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Panic at DeAsia Green vigil can't stop celebration of life, calls for justice, violence intervention leader says

A firecracker, mistaken for gunfire, sent attendees fleeing for their cars Tuesday. But a leader of Save Our Community said it didn't dampen the vigil's purpose.

TOLEDO, Ohio — As family, friends and loved ones grieved for and celebrated the life of DeAsia Green during a vigil Tuesday, in the same north Toledo alley her body was found in just one day before, a gunshot-like bang interrupted the proceedings and sent attendees scrambling.

Police later confirmed to WTOL 11 that the bang was a firecracker set off.

For her parents and other family members, the vigil was a moment of catharsis and the first step toward healing. 

While the vigil may have been cut short, the tearful gratitude of DeAsia's mother, Teairia Hill, shone through she thanked the attendees for their condolences and support.

"I really appreciate y'all so much, it means everything to me, and De'Asia would appreciate y'all too because if anything she loved her friends and her family," Hill said.

The firecracker went off soon after. Regardless of the length of the vigil, its purpose of honoring the Start High School freshman was not dampened, Save Our Community commissioner, David Bush, said.

"It's just something that's ingrained in our community, to celebrate a life, or mourn a life, because these families need to know that they're being seen or heard in their time of loss," he said.

Bush said it's critical that support for DeAsia's loved ones remains unwavering long after her life was cut short.

"These families need to know that we're with them," he said. "We want people to put the gun down, we want to mediate conflict in other ways and that's something (Save Our Community) will always play a part in."

As a City of Toledo violence intervention program, Save Our Community is an extension of the Glass City's support for those grieving the loss of youth to violence, as well as a symbol of the effort to prevent any more deaths, Bush said.

Bush said that the continued success of the Save our Community program has caught the attention of outside parties. A Cleveland group will be shadowing the Toledo team in the future, he said.

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