Family of Tysiona Crawford remembers her ahead of 18th birthday
Its been two months since the shooting death of 17-year-old Tysiona Crawford. Her boyfriend at the time, Rahim Brumfield, and another person have been charged in the case but now her family is opening up about their loss.
Tyson Crawford, Tysiona’s father, and his youngest daughter say although Tysiona can’t be here with them physically, they’ve figured out a way to have here in spirit.
“This [basketball] league, I’ve actually been playing it since it started and my daughters always sit on the bench with me. It’s kind of hard looking over and she’s not there no more,” said Tyson Crawford, Tysiona’s father. “She would be 18 Friday, March 16th”.
The family plans to hold a birthday party for Tysiona and remembering who she was.
“My baby. My oldest child, sweetest girl… a little feisty, the littlest thing but she’s feisty. She wouldn’t bite her tongue for nothing. She was fun all her friends say they loved being around her, she loved to party,” said Tyson.
“So close. We did everything together… like we never left each other at all. I don’t know how to explain it…. We were tight. It was hard,” said Ty’sis.
Tyson Crawford says since his baby girl’s death, he’s asked his teammates on the men’s basketball league at the Kroc Center in South Bend to wear Tysiona’s colors every Sunday.
“The jerseys are red because it’s her favorite color. I wanted to stick out and everybody to see her daddy had her back,” said Tyson.
So that even though she has passed.. She is still with her family during those games.
“I’ve always had my daughters with me since they were born. She helped raise me just like I raised her. She taught me to be a standup guy and a man. You know I just keep her legacy going. I’ll never let her name die so she’ll forever live in this city.” Tyson
Tyson says he plans to start a fund soon called “Tysiona Crawford: Never Settle for Less”. He says 100% of the proceeds will go toward Tysiona’s sister, Ty’sis’ college fund. Tyson says it’s because he doesn’t need or want any of the money and that his main goal was to always see his daughters graduate college. Stay with ABC 57 News for the latest on when he begins the fundraiser.