The mother of a 19-year-old college student who was fatally shot Friday evening on Chicago's South Side while home from winter break says she couldn't have asked for a better child.
Lyniah Bell was staying at her boyfriend's house in the city's Chatham neighborhood when she was shot in the head. A suspect was arrested, and Bell's death was believed to have been the result of a domestic incident, Chicago police confirmed.
Bell was a freshman honors student at Michigan State University and a graduate of North Lawndale College Prep High School on the city's West Side.
While holding a picture of her daughter Saturday afternoon, Bell's mother, Evelyn Hightower, was in a state of shock. The two had talked about an hour before the 19-year-old's death.
"It ain't really hit me yet," Hightower said. "...I know she's gone, but I ain't fully processed it yet."
Bell was the light of her family's life; someone her 13-year-old brother, Darius, always looked up to. The teen received a full ride scholarship to MSU, and one day hoped to be a reporter and own a business.
"I was very proud of her," said Hightower, Bell's mother. "...Couldn't ask for a better child, just hated our time was cut short."
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While at North Lawndale College Prep, Bell participated in several extra-curricular activities including theater club, "Hoops High" and the CAPS student instructor program. She was also a "peace warrior" and National Honor Society inductee.
The school released a statement following Bell's death that reads in part: "To know Lyniah was to love her...We just can't say enough good about the positive impact she had on the school community. She will be missed dearly."
