An 18-year-old pregnant black woman, J’Lyn Quinones, was fatally shot on the same day as Ma’Khia Bryant, but her story did not garner the same attention and outrage from Black Lives Matter activists.
“I know that J’Lyn was strong because her last act of strength on this Earth was to ensure that her daughter was born,” said one mourner at a vigil that was held in honor of Quinones.
Quinones was crossing the street in Capitol Heights, Maryland, Tuesday during the day when she and another woman were shot. While doctors were able to save her baby during an emergency surgery, Quinones later died of her wounds.
One of the suspects in the case, 22-year-old Michael Johnson, is believed to be the father of the baby Quinones was carrying when she was killed. Johnson and another suspect were charged with accessory after first-degree murder for allegedly helping a third suspect, 21-year-old Malik Johnson, evade arrest after the shooting.
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“Violence has increased in Prince George’s County and in Washington, D.C. And we have to do something about it, especially on young women,” Quinones’s mother said at the vigil.
But that rise in violence has received little attention from the Black Lives Matter movement or its supporters, many of whom have sought to honor and remember Bryant but have made no mention of the Quinones case. Black Lives Matter did not immediately respond to the Washington Examiner’s request for comment on the matter.
“At the exact same time the verdict of Derek Chauvin was being read for murdering George Floyd, police wasted no time in senselessly taking another Black child,” reads a tribute to Bryant on the Black Lives Matter website. “Ma’Khia Bryant was her name. We say her name.”
The website noted that Bryant “called the police for help” before the incident, but “officer Nicholas Reardon showed up and shot this 16-year-old child point blank within a matter of seconds.”
“Another Black live stolen with no regard,” the website reads.
Bryant was fatally shot by a Columbus police officer in Ohio while she was seen on video attacking a woman with a knife.
The story comes as Black Lives Matter has been under heavier scrutiny in recent weeks, with the families of those who have been fatally shot by police raising questions about the organization.
“I have never personally dealt with BLM Louisville, and personally have found them to be fraud,” said Tamika Palmer, whose daughter, Breonna Taylor, was killed by Louisville police in a March 2020 raid that drew widespread criticism.
“I could walk in a room full of people who claim to be here for Breonna’s family who don’t even know who I am,” Palmer said. “I’ve watched y’all raise money on behalf of Breonna’s family who has never done a damn thing for us, nor have we needed it … or asked to talk about fraud. It’s amazing how many people have lost focus. … I’m gonna say this before I go. I’m so sick of some of y’all.”
Michael Brown Sr., the father of Michael Brown, an 18-year-old shot and killed by police officers in Ferguson, Missouri, asked similar questions about the organization.
“Who are they giving [the money] to, and what are they doing with it?” Brown Sr. asked. “Why hasn’t my family’s foundation received any assistance from the movement? How could you leave the families who are helping the community without any funding?”
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Meanwhile, the motive of Quinones’s shooting is still under investigation while family members mourn the loss of a loved one.
“I’m grateful I do have another angel in the sky looking over me,” Quinones’s cousin said at the vigil. “I just wish I had a little bit more time with her.”
