Two-year-old Ka-mya Robinson was hit by a stray bullet and killed Monday evening in east Bakersfield. On Friday, community members held a car wash and cookout to help with funeral donations.
An innocent life taken way too early, Ka-mya was shot on Robinson Street and Virginia Avenue, as she played outside.Now, her grieving family is not only dealing with the emotional burden of their loss, but the financial burden of her funeral.
On Friday, Iraina Holliday from the Cold Ten Project put together a car wash and cookout to help with funeral costs for the family.
Holliday says, "What today what we are doing is trying to raise funds for Ka-mya Robinson, the two-year-old girl that was shot and killed. So what we are tying to do is raise funds for her funeral service."
Lupe Perez is a probation supervisor for the Kern County Victim Witness Unit. She works one on one with families of victims who have been killed in crimes.
Perez says, "State victim compensation has a number of services they offer. The majority of that cost is assumed by them, including counseling for up to $70,000 for all family members. This would be for support services for therapy, the other is for funeral burial up to $5,500."
Perez also says most average funerals cost between $9,000 and $12,000.
A caring community expressed their kindness by reaching out to others to raise money. Darren Bailey of Bakersfield is helping to raise money for the family. He says, "It means a lot. It shows that the community really pulled together when we really need to and when situations like this happen."
The Secret Witness Program is offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to the arrest and charges filed against anyone responsible for the shooting. Information can be left anonymously by calling 322-4040.
