JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A small pink casket layered with pictures of Kae’lynn Marie Matthews sat at the front of the sanctuary at Westside Church of Christ as her family laid the 3-year-old to rest Saturday.
Kae’lynn’s parents remembered her as a joyous child with an infectious smile.
Kae’Lynn was killed Sept. 23 in a quadruple shooting at JTB Apartments that left two other people dead. Investigators said five people traveled to the complex to buy or sell a dog when there was a disagreement that sparked the gunfire.
RELATED | 3-year-old among 3 dead after 4 people shot on Southside: JSO
“If you all know Kae’Lynn, she was so happy. She would not want me crying, but I thank you all so much because she loved everybody,” her mother said at the funeral.
Kae’Lynn, who was born the day after Valentine’s Day, loved to sing and dance. Loved ones wore the 3-year-old’s favorite color to pay tribute to the sweet girl they said was a princess not turned into their angel.
“As long as your heart is beating, this baby is alive. Her spirit, her life were so beautiful,” someone said about the 3-year-old.
According to News4JAX records, Kae’Lynn is 1 of 9 children shot and killed in Duval County this year.
“Gun violence is not the new normal that we ought to be expecting anywhere in the world,” a person said.
MORE | Family broken by death of 3-year-old shot at Southside apartment calls for community to ‘do better’
No arrests have been made in the case. There is a 13,000 reward from First Coast CrimeStoppers for information that ultimately leads to an arrest in Kae’Lynn’s murder.
If you have any information, call 904-630-0500 or Crime Stoppers at 866-845-TIPS.
Copyright 2023 by WJXT News4JAX – All rights reserved.
