Mother of 10-year old killed in Boyle Park shares story
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LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas (KFSM ) — Laquita Bradley hasn’t slept for 24 hours. When she did wake up Sunday morning in her daughter’s room, she said she thought her daughter would be there.
10-year old Ja’Aliyah Hughes was shot at Boyles Park Saturday afternoon and later died in the hospital.
“They took my baby from me,” Bradley told us. “She was only 10 years old. It hurts. I can’t even get my words out like I want to. They hurt her other siblings too. She had three big sisters as well. She had two other siblings on her dad’s side. Ja’Aliyah was loved.”
Little Rock police identified Ladarius Burnett and Eric Hall Jr. as the two main suspects in the shooting.
Bradley said she was on the phone with her 16-year-old daughter after two girls jumped her at Park Plaza Mall Saturday afternoon.
She wanted family and friends to meet up at the park to discuss the incident and where to report it.
“We were trying to calm my daughter down, then a car we didn’t know pulled up and it was tinted. It was a white Honda Civic. The front bumper was hanging off. It circled around twice. One guy gets out the car, he had a gun, I saw the gun. He said he wanted to see if we wanted to buy some pills.”
Bradley said she didn’t say anything to the suspect.
She just grabbed her daughter.
“As we’re trying to walk off to my sister’s boyfriend they was calling him out of his name and saying ‘You need the pills. You lucky kids around here, cause I’d air this MFer out,'” said Bradley.
She said the suspect then went back to the car and she realized the other suspect was in the passenger seat after he rolled down his window calling for her 16-year-old daughter.
She instructed her daughter not to go towards the car.
One suspect threatened to kill her 16-year-old before he allegedly stepped out of the car and started shooting.
“I grabbed her, but then saw my sister’s boyfriend on the ground screaming he’s been shot. Then someone called my name. I turned around not knowing my baby was hit. She fell to the ground. I’m trying to hold her wound and do CPR and check her pulse at the same time,” Bradley told us.
She said the suspects don’t know the pain she’s endured after losing her youngest baby girl. She said she has a lot of anger inside after the incident.
“I just ask that you have some type of compassion. Some type of heart,” she said. “Y’all are fathers as well. Can you please turn yourself in? If anything justice needs to be served.”
Sunday afternoon, the Little Rock Police Department announced the arrest of Ladarius Burnett. He was served his warrant when he surrendered to detectives.
They’re still searching for Eric Hall Jr.
Bradley said she was hoping the day before was just a bad dream, but the reality is Ja’Aliyah wasn’t at home anymore.
Hughes was an honor roll student who was very fashionable and girly, loved basketball and was a bit of a tomboy.
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