INDIANAPOLIS — People from all over central Indiana plan to gather on Indy's east side Saturday at noon to remember two children killed by stray bullets in separate incidents earlier this year.
Rodgerick Payne, Jr. was in his living room when he was killed on March 31, 2020. Nya Cope was riding in a car just a little more than a month later when she was shot.
Organizers are planning a balloon launch for Cope's family near the scene where she was killed - a strip mall at 38th Street and Arlington Avenue. A motorcycle ride for Payne will follow.
Cope, 16, was riding in a car with her mother when she was shot near a large gathering for a car show. Nya and her mother had just arrived that night from Marion, Indiana to visit one of their favorite restaurants in the area.
Nikki Cope is asking others to join her as she remembers her daughter by bringing balloons for the memorial launch in Nya's honor. Cope also hopes Saturday's event will also spark more attention to the unsolved case.
Right after the balloon launch, a motorcycle ride will take place in memory of Rodgerick, who was 8. Riders will take off at 1 p.m. after donating $5 each as part of the volunteer fundraiser for Payne's family.
Rodgerick was inside his home on Tacoma Avenue and had just finished eating dinner when someone outside fired shots. A bullet struck him and he died at Riley Hospital for Children.
The shooting remains unsolved.
Organizers ask that attendees wear masks and practice social distancing to keep themselves and others safe.
Cope and her supporters will also have bracelets for sale in Nya's memory.