It was August 2015 and summer came to an end in Buffalo, New York. Fall was fast approaching and 31-year-old La’Kendra Tillmon had five children to get her ready for school.
On August 2, La’Kendra decided to take two of the children for shopping and haircuts to school, according to her sister, Tanisha Tillmon.
But that afternoon changed her life forever.
Tanisha was at work when she got a flurry of conversations and texts.
“It was weird because some of the conversations were from people I don’t talk to every day and I started to get nervous,” Tanisha said. “Something was wrong. So I started calling everyone back. They told me that Kay, which is what we called her, had been in a car accident. And that she was shot. Nobody really knew what was happening. ”
According to Buffalo Police, La’Kendra was driving around But45 Avenue at about 1:45 a.m. Thursday, August 2, two unidentified men got out of a car and opened fire. La’Kendra was kicked in the car, causing her to crash into a tree.
La’Kendra was transported to Erie County Medical Center, where she died.
A man who described her family as her friend was sitting in the passenger seat, his son and La’Kendra’s two children sitting in the back seat. They were not injured.
Tanisha rushed to the hospital, where she was told the heartbreaking news. She said Buffalo Police told that La’Kendra was shot while she was driving, which caused her to.
“It was the worst day of my life,” Tanisha said. ‘But it was also really traumatic for her children. When they ask about their mother, I sometimes do not know what to tell her. “
La’Kendra’s eldest daughter, Nevaeh Tillmon, who is now 16, talks to NBC branch WGRZ about dealing with the loss of her mother.
“It’s hard because I have things I have to go through with my mother and I can’t do that,” Nevaeh said. “And I’m still like a child, and I have to go through my whole life without her, and it hurts me a lot.”
After La’Kendra’s death, her five children moved in with Tanisha, who already has two children of her own.
“I do not know how I would do it, but I knew I had to make it work. It’s what we do for family, ”said Tanisha. ‘And we talk about Kay all the time. She is always on our minds. Always. “Kay is the family nickname for La’Kendra.
La’Kendra’s aunt, Cyndi Elser, told Dateline that she received the call about her niece on August 2, which is also her wedding anniversary.
“I got multiple calls back-to-back and I just thought it would call the kids to tell me happy anniversary,” Cyndi said. ‘I never expected this. It was – still is – a nightmare. ”
Cyndi told Dateline that her niece was going through some tough times in her life, but everything just started to come together when she got hit.
Cyndi’s sister – La’Kendra and Tanisha’s mother – died in May 2015 from Multiple Sclerosis.
“It was heartbreaking for everyone,” Cyndi said. “And it really forced La’Kendra to act as a mother to get her children and her life together.”
She said La’Kendra worked hard to get her Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) certificate and eventually landed a job as a CNA.
“She loves that job so much – you would have it even if she was head nurse,” Tanisha recalls. “One of her patients had MS – and that’s where our mother died from – so she felt distressed. As if she was meant to do this.”
Just weeks later, La’Kendra was defeated in broad daylight.
“I was so proud of that girl,” Cyndi said. She did not describe herself as beautiful and strong and always made people laugh.
“She was so funny – and when she laughed, it was contagious, you could not help but laugh,” Cyndi said. “And one has removed all of that from us.”
Two years have passed since La’Kendra’s death, but no one has been charged.
“There are just so many unanswered questions,” Cyndi said. ‘We just want justice for Kay. Justice for their children. ”
Buffalo Police detectives said they were still searching for the person who killed La’Kendra and shouted at anyone who might have seen anything to call police.
“Our homicide team always works aggressively. We will never forget these cases,” Buffalo Police Deputy Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia told a news conference in August 2019. “We ask anyone who has information – and we know there are people. there are those who know information – we want them to share it with us. “
Tanisha told Dateline that she dreams of the day she gets justice for La’Kendra.
“I often dream in the first year, the second year and now I’m going into the third, that a detective will call or come to us at Kay’s balloon release, and give us the news we’ve been waiting for,” Tanisha said . “The news that someone has been arrested in their murder.”
Every year since La’Kendra’s death, her loved ones have been collecting shirts with the letters “JFK”, which stands for “Justice for Kay.” They unleash balloons in their honor with a simple but powerful message, “No justice, no peace.”
‘It’s frustrating not to have answers. And not knowing why anyone would want to do this to them, ‘said Tanisha. “We just want someone to take responsibility for their actions and come forward.”
Tanisha told Dateline her biggest fear is that her sister will be forgotten.
“It’s what scares me the most,” Tanisha said. “Our family feels like she’s already forgotten. She can be nothing to her [the police], but she was everything to us. “
Buffalo Crime Stoppers is offering a $ 4,000 reward to anyone with information leading to the person or people responsible for La’Kendra’s death.
Anyone with information is asked to call Buffalo Crime Stoppers at (716) 867-6161 or the Buffalo Police Confidential Tipline at (716) 847-2255.
