LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A Louisville family is still fighting for justice after a 13-year-old was killed during a high-speed police chase in Louisville in 2018.
The family of Ki'Anthony Tyus gathered Saturday in Ballard Park to honor the teen ahead of what would have been his 15th birthday.
"I want the world to know that he is not forgotten. He is a child that didn't get a chance to grow up. He was robbed of his life in a police chase," said his grandmother, Ernestine Tyus.
Tyus, 13, was a community activist against gun violence after he survived being hit by a stray bullet at age 9. Three years later, he died in a crash after police chased a group of teens in a stolen vehicle.
He was a passenger in the car, and his family says he was catching a ride with friends. The family filed a wrongful death lawsuit, saying the officer broke the Louisville Metro Police Department's pursuit policy at the time.
"The chase had been called off, but another officer pursued it anyways, and my grandson lost his life," Ernestine said.
Their pain is amplified in a city dealing with a pandemic, civil unrest and an uptick in crime.
"I just want my city to stop and pray because we are in trying times now," said Ernestine. "They're out here tearing our city up, hijacking cars and stuff."
She shared a message and warning to the young people involved in recent carjackings across Louisville.
"I just want these kids that's going out here taking people's cars that don't belong to them to think about it before you do anything," she said, noting that it's not worth losing a life, whether it's yours or someone innocent.
"I want everyone to know that this is not easy to do," she said, remembering her grandson. "It hurts every time something comes around like Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter, and we don't have him here with us."
Related Stories:
- Family identifies Fern Valley Road crash victim as 13-year-old anti-gun violence activist
- Family and friends mourn loss of boy who died after LMPD chase
- Wrongful death lawsuit filed on behalf of 13-year-old who died after LMPD chase
- Teen charged with murder months after LMPD chase ends in death of 13-year-old
Copyright 2020 WDRB Media. All Rights Reserved.
