GLENDALE, AZ — A Valley mother shares her heartbreaking story after her 7-year-old daughter was shot and killed early Thursday near 65th Avenue and Bethany Home Road.
Letreese Moten, known as 'Lay Lay,' died protecting her 5-year-old sister in a drive-by shooting.
“I know Letreese always wanted to be on TV. But I just hate that my daughter has to be on TV with this. I wanted to see my baby on the Olympics. I wanted to see her doing something else. I didn’t want to see my baby like this,” Chareese Kincherlow, her mother, said through tears.
It’s not the TV debut this Glendale mother ever imagined for her baby girl.
“Tomorrow (Monday) is my daughter’s 8th birthday and we made plans to go skating, we made plans to go eat food,” said Chareese.
Instead, Chareese is preparing funeral arrangements. She was in the car with her family, when her 7-year-old-daughter, Letreese, was shot multiple times in a drive-by shooting early Thursday morning.
“I picked my baby up screaming, help me, help me,” Chareese said, adding that her daughter saved her 5-year-old sister.
“My daughter was such a protector, if my daughter hadn’t laid on her sister, I would be burying both my daughters,” said Chareese.
Latreese later died at the hospital.
Her message to the man police arrested as the suspected shooter, Terriance Armstrong Jr.:
“I have no words for him, I just want him to know that he ripped my heart out and he crumbled it for no reason. I would want him to know, you don’t ever need to touch a gun again. My baby is going to get justice because what you did was wrong.”
Now Chareese is taking each day one step at a time to be strong for the daughter and little sister left.
“Right now my heart is so half empty. I know I’ve got my other baby and she’s giving me so much love. Momma be strong, be strong. but she’s five. I don’t think she fully realizes what’s going on.”
The family has started a GoFundMe campaign to help cover funeral costs.
