Trinity Gay, the 15-year-old daughter of Olympic sprinter Tyson Gay and promising track star, wanted to follow in her father’s footsteps by winning gold.
But Trinity’s life was cut short on Sunday night outside of a Kentucky restaurant when she was randomly struck by a bullet while hanging with friends. Just two hours before she died, the teenager sent a tragic tweet that hinted at her untimely death.
“Of course they start shootin,” she wrote around 2:19 a.m.
Of course they start shootin 🙄😂
— Trin (@__ailyt) October 16, 2016
In an interview with The New York Daily News, Gay’s mother, Shoshana Boyd, called her daughter innocent, saying she shouldn’t have to bury her child.
“I just want people to stop shooting and realize who they’re hurting. It’s just random. They don’t understand, they don’t understand who they’re hurting. I should never have to bury my child,” Boyd said. “She wanted to be the fastest woman in the world, and they took that away from her,” she said.
As reported by ESSENCE, Dvonta Middlebrooks, Chazerae M. Taylor, and his son D’markeo C. Taylor were charged in connection with the shooting. Middlebrooks also faces charges of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
According to police, two cars exchanged gunfire outside the restaurant around 4 a.m. Trinity was not in either car, the Daily News reports. Police are still investigating the motive.
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In an interview with WLEX shortly after the incident, Tyson Gay, in disbelief, confirmed her death.
“It’s so crazy, I have no idea what happened,” he said.
Trinity, who once said she would win a gold for her dad after he was disqualified, attended her father’s alma mater, Lafayette High School. Friends and classmates have taken to social media to remember the teenager as a stellar athlete and a great friend.