A woman describes the night her twin sister was shot and killed at a basketball game after an altercation with a group of girls. She struggles with survivor's guilt, questioning whether her decision to attend caused the tragedy, and grapples with the aftermath: lost sleep, withdrawn from school, and the weight of being alive when her sister isn't.
So what happened the night of your sister's death?
The night of my sister's death, I decided to go to a basketball game. When I went to the basketball game, I went alone and my sister, I didn't see her 3 weeks before the game. I called Terion to the game because I seen a group of females that had jumped me prior.
Got it.
And I felt uncomfortable, I felt unsafe. So I called Terrion to come protect me.
And Terrion is your foster brother?
That's correct.
Got it, okay.
And so I never imagined that she would come to that game, but I was thankful that she did come to that game. And when he came, he brought her with him. And I honestly forgot about the group of girls that was there. I ran to my sister. We hugged. We cried. It was like we said our last words from each other. So after that, we kind of got into an altercation with the group of girls that did jump us. And the principals and the security guards just kept on saying, "You had to leave. We had to get out the game." Me and my sister didn't want to do so because we haven't seen each other 3 weeks. So we wanted to stay and watch the game, but that didn't happen. When we got escorted out, they escorted both parties outside, and 2 of the girls that was inside that group was out there waiting. And my sister's the one who noticed that she had a gun. She let the security guards know, everyone that was there. She yelled out loud, "She got a gun, she got a gun." She got something and then 30 seconds later, gunshots.
Yeah. How did that moment impact you for the rest of your life? I can only imagine, but I wanna hear from you.
It changed my life. Honestly don't know who I am anymore without my twin sister. I don't sleep the same. I can't eat the same. I haven't went back to school. I don't even wanna follow my dreams. I don't even wanna do anything because I planned it all out with this one person that's no longer here to do it with me.
Yeah, I understand. So are you struggling with guilt over that moment?
Absolutely. Mm-hmm. Then I felt like if I would've never went to that basketball game, she would've never ended up there.
Got it, I understand. So are you blaming yourself for your sister's death?
Honestly, don't blame nobody but the person who shot her. But at first, I can honestly say that I questioned myself a lot.
That's good. That's good that at least you don't blame yourself. That's good. But you were questioning yourself?
Yes, sir.
Why were you questioning yourself?
'Cause I just didn't think I did everything that I could to keep my sister here.
