COLUMBUS, Ohio — Two years after 18-year-old A’yanta Jarmon was shot and killed at a party in southeast Columbus, her family and friends continue to work to keep her legacy alive. Tuesday night, a vigil was held by her gravesite so that loved ones could gather together to reminisce on her life.
"It's just hard, not seeing her, not hearing her voice everyday,” Frank Jarmon, A’yanta’s father, said.
A’yanta’s parents knew their daughter as AJ. They said she was beautiful, sweet, caring and a jokester. As time continues on, her parents said it’s the little things they miss the most.
"She'd stay the night, go in her room give her a kiss, 'daddy, love you, I'll see you when I get back.' It's just the simple things,” Frank said.
A’yanta’s parents are getting through these tough times with the support of their friends and family.
"It has been two long years but you guys continue to show up and show out,” LaShonda Campbell, A’yanta’s mother, said.
Campbell said they wanted to have a private moment to celebrate their daughter this week, but they were overwhelmed by the amount of messages they received from friends and family wanting to gather together to celebrate her life.
A’yanta’s parents are working to keep her legacy alive and honoring her love for cheerleading by starting a scholarship in her honor.
"That was her passion, so we definitely want to bless the next person that walks in her shoes and in her dreams,” Campbell said.
Campbell said A’yanta had about $2,000 saved up. Last year, $1,000 from that account was granted to the first recipient of her scholarship, a Reynoldsburg High School senior cheerleader, who was also a friend of A’yanta.
"She had a lot of friends that cheered and we didn't want anybody to think we were being biased, so we let the school committee do everything from point A to Z to choose her,” Campbell said.
This year, her parents plan to keep the scholarship going, hoping to raise money to match the remaining $1,000 from A’yanta’s bank account to be granted to another Reynoldsburg High School senior cheerleader.
Campbell also acknowledged how this tragedy has forced all who knew A’yanta to see life differently.
"Sometimes they need something to wake them up to cherish the days... and just living life to the fullest,” Campbell said.
Nearly a year after the shooting, 19-year-old Tyshawn Jenkins was indicted on murder charges in connection to A’yanta’s death. Jenkins previously pleaded not guilty to the charges and remains in jail.