A plea to end gun violence

Families remember 5-year anniversary of Halloween shootings

By Alberto Gilman
Posted 11/2/21

Saturday, October 30, 2021 marks the five year anniversary of the passing of 18 year-old Omani Free and 20 year-old Tabitha Cruz. Both of the girls were from the City of Newburgh.

At the corner …

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A plea to end gun violence

Families remember 5-year anniversary of Halloween shootings

Posted

Saturday, October 30, 2021 marks the five year anniversary of the passing of 18 year-old Omani Free and 20 year-old Tabitha Cruz. Both of the girls were from the City of Newburgh.

At the corner of Dupont and Wilkin Street, family and friends of the two girls gathered to join one another and march for the lives that were lost that night. The girl’s mothers, Rhonda Valentine-Free and Jeannette Drake have been putting this march together for the last five years in memory of their daughters. Free was a senior at Newburgh Free Academy and Cruz was a college student in Pittsburgh, PA. Reports say Cruz was attending Vet Tech Institute in Pittsburgh to become a veterinarian.

Multiple reports from 2016 indicate the two girls were attending a Halloween party on 119 Broadway. During the course of the party, an argument broke out between several individuals and one pulled a gun and started shooting. Several party goers were injured and sent to local hospitals but Cruz and Free died from their wounds. Later reports identified 18 year-old Nija Johnson of Newburgh as the shooter and he was convicted in their deaths.

With a heavy heart, Valentine-Free expressed her emotions as the days lead to this day every year. “All year long I’m emotional. With being busy, that keeps me grounded,” Valentine-Free said. “I love my daughter every day. I think about her every day. Everything that I do, I do it for her. All year long it’s hard for me, but what gives me strength is to keep thinking about them.” Caring, happy, silly, unselfish. Always wanting the best for others. These were the words to describe Valentine-Free’s daughter.

For Drake, she also expressed her emotions around the night. “Three years, she’s going to walk through the door. Four years, alright jokes up, come on. Five years, wow this is real,” Drake said. “There has been a lot more shootings since 2016. We’re going to continue to do this walk. Every year.”Elizabeth Morales, Cruz’s grandmother, held back tears talking about her. “Every time we do this, it brings everything back cause my granddaughter’s gone. It makes me sad and it makes me angry at the same time,” Morales said. “We are all hurt.” Morales wants violence and guns to be taken off the streets. Joseph Morales, Cruz’s uncle, also expressed his hurt and pain surrounding the night. “I’m still in pain and shock because my niece is not here,” Morales said. “She didn’t deserve what happened.”

Iris Florentino, Cruz’s aunt, misses her niece and continues to move forward through the pain. “The pain never goes away. People tell me it gets easier,” Florentino said. “I always say to myself she’s in college, it makes me feel better. She was everything.”