NEW ORLEANS — Looking at photos, Montrice Ussin still can’t believe memories are all she has left of her daughter Brittany Ussin, 25.
“I have my weak moments. I’m in disbelief. I am,” said Ussin. “Not being able to see her, it’s weighing on me.”
Brittany Ussin was killed Monday evening in Algiers during a fight between a group of young women outside McDonough Playground. The fight was posted to social media, which is where Ussin’s aunt, Carol Jones, says it also started.
“It ended in real life and in a real-life situation,” said Jones.
Family members say Brittany is seen in the video spraying something on a woman while two others continue to fight. Moments later Brittany got shot.
“She never physically got into a fight. She actually tried to use pepper spray to disperse the people that were fighting her sister,” said Jones. “She ended up bearing the brunt of bad decisions.”
Brittany’s mom says those bad decisions don’t define her daughter.
“What she did wasn’t who she was,” said Ussin.
Brittany was one of Ussin’s seven children. Ussin says Brittany was extremely kind, loved her family, and was a bit stubborn.
“Brittany was a sweetheart though. I affectionately called her Chocolate Bunny. She was a dark-skinned beautiful girl,” said Ussin.
Ussin says Brittany was also thoughtful beyond her 25 years of life.
“Brittany would very meticulously prepare a gift for me every Mother’s Day and every birthday. She never missed a birthday or Mother’s Day. I’m going to miss that,” said Ussin.
Holding back her tears, Ussin said she hopes what happened to her daughter will be a lesson to others, especially when it comes to violence and social media.
“I hope they can take from that video and this situation to learn how to walk away. It doesn’t make you a coward. It makes you smart,” said Ussin.
Ussin wishes that would have happened Monday night when her two daughters showed up at the playground.
“We appreciate the time we did have with her, but this should not have happened,” said Brittany Ussin’s uncle Michael Willis.
Willis is the founder of Helping Other People Endure, a community organization focused on New Orleans youth and families. He works directly with families that have lost loved ones to gun violence.
“It’s personal now. This is my house. This is my family,” said Willis.
Willis, along with the rest of his family, wants young adults and kids to understand the consequences of getting caught up in social media feuding.
“Why we can’t say let’s meet up together and let’s figure out what the problem really is and how do we deal with the problem instead of just violently hating each other,” said Wilis.
Ussin hasn’t seen the video of that fight and says she forgives the person who killed her daughter. Ussin is looking for closure and wishes she was creating more memories instead of planning a funeral.
“I thank God for the 25 years, but I just wish I had more. I just wish I had more. I just wish she had more time here. I really and truly do because she did not deserve that,” said Ussin.
As of Wednesday evening, there have been no arrests in the case.
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