TOLEDO, Ohio — "No one is supposed to see a child killed like this... and I'm trying not to get angry talking about it," said Toledo's safety director Brian Byrd, discussing this past Saturday's shooting on Collingwood Boulevard in the Old West End.
24-year-old Kenneth White was driving with his 10-year old niece, Damia Ezell, when a black SUV pulled alongside and opened fire into their vehicle around 1 p.m., according to police.
White required surgery, but there is no update on his current condition. Damia was shot once and died at the hospital.
She was a fourth grader at Glenwood Elementary School.
"[Damia was a] vibrant young girl with a winning smile and a positive attitude. She was an excellent student who put pride in her work," said Glenwood's principal, Michael A. Carr.
A spokesperson from Toledo Public Schools said that counselors are available within the school to help students and staff process the sudden loss.
Byrd says the city is still working to get answers to find out who pulled the trigger.
"Somebody knows," Byrd said. "We're gonna let law enforcement do their job, but we also need the people who know who did this to be willing to take the chance to say something."
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Byrd says that to help combat violent incidents like this one, the city is currently working to hire more violence interrupters to work directly with communities in high-crime neighborhoods.
However, Byrd says that to truly solve the issue of gun violence in this city, the conditions that push people into these actions will need to change as well, and that effort will take more than just city employees.
"We need help. No single government entity, no single individual is going to be able to fix this," he said. "And it's not just a problem here in Toledo, it's a problem everywhere. But we need the community's help to fix this."
Shawn Mahone Sr., with Young Men and Women for Change, has been running a scared-straight style program for more than a decade.
While Mahone agrees that he and other community members are needed to help solve the violence crisis, he also believes that as safety director, Byrd should begin focusing more on working with kids.
"If we could focus on letting there be a stronger accountability piece in our community," Mahone said. "And begin raising the eyebrows of those who know that they make unhealthy choices that this is what's going to happen, and stand behind that, I believe his time in office will be very, very successful."
WTOL 11 went to the home of Damia's legal guardian, her aunt. While no one answered the door, a vigil lay on the front porch.
Mahone lost his own son to gun violence in 2017.
"I can only imagine a parent that has to figure out how she's going to bury her child rather than watch her at age 18 cross the stage to graduate," Mahone said.
The city of Toledo has put up a $5,000 dollar reward for anyone willing to come forward with any information to help solve the death of Damia Ezell.
If you know anything, you can call or text Crime Stoppers at 419-255-1111.
You can remain anonymous.