‘Her light will be missed’: Friends and family remember young mother killed in Minneapolis shooting

Minneapolis police are investigating the homicide of a 17-year-old girl, identified by family and friends as Serenity Shief, that occurred Monday night.

Neighbors reported hearing more than two dozen gunshots in the 2300 Block of James Avenue North where Shief was fatally struck.

"She was everybody’s shining armor, you know what I mean," said Precious Starks, the victim’s godmother. "You see her face, you light-up. Everybody light-up. She’s everything to me, everything to her friends, her sisters, her family, this right here was the wrong thing."

"She was just always smiling and had everybody around her feeling the same," said long-time friend Aaliyah Warren.

Shief was also the mother of a toddler, according to her family.

The 17-year-old would have been starting her senior year at Patrick Henry High School in Minneapolis.

One of Shief’s teachers told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS that she was “fiercely loved by the Henry community” adding “her light will be missed.”

A pile of shattered glass believed to be from the vehicle the 17-year-old was inside when shot was still in the street on Tuesday morning.

Investigators said the teenage victim was then driven to the hospital to try and get help after the shooting.

"It’s a nightmare that you don’t want to happen," said community activist KG Wilson.

17-year-old girl, 22-year-old man killed in metro area shootings

Two years ago, Wilson said the Shief family buried a son who was the victim of gun violence in Minneapolis.

"Here’s a family who lost a son, then lose a daughter," he said. "Not only lose a daughter but a young mother, so this means a baby child lost a mother it’s probably too young to remember."

No motive or any more details are being shared by police about the murder.

Now, the victim’s family is left wondering what happened to Serenity.

"It’s sad, it’s tearing us apart," said Starks.

MPD sent a statement about the homicide that reads in part, “Whereas headway is being made, we are asking for the public’s help. We believe people have information that will help bring the killers of a 17-year-old child to justice.”