Staff photo by C.B. Schmelter/ Chattanooga Police Sgt. Josh May talks about gun violence during a vigil for Quintasia Tate at the Rainbow Creek apartment complex on Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2019 in Chattanooga, Tenn. Tate, 19, was killed on Aug. 26th.A crowd of teary-eyed friends and family gathered in the parking lot of Rainbow Creek Apartments Wednesday evening to hold a candlelight vigil and balloon release for Quintasia Tate.
Tate, 19, was shot and killed early Monday morning. She left behind three young children and was four months pregnant with a fourth.
"She always wanted to be a mom and was working two jobs to take care of her kids," said a family member, who did not want to be identified for fear of reprisal.
She was doing well for herself.
Tate's family didn't believe the news of her death at first. When police responded just after midnight Monday morning, family members who live nearby saw the bright flashing blue lights through their curtains.
They decided to walk toward the scene to see what was happening, and as they got closer, someone told them, "'Tasia's dead. Tasia's been shot,'" a family member said.
Staff photo by C.B. Schmelter/ Balloons float away during a vigil for Quintasia Tate at the Rainbow Creek apartment complex on Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2019 in Chattanooga, Tenn. Tate, 19, was killed on Aug. 26th.It didn't make sense.
"We know that she doesn't come out of her apartment at night unless it's an emergency or somebody that she knew needed her help," the family member said. "We know that she would never leave her child up there in the apartment by themself, even if she was just coming down the steps. So for her to come out of her apartment and come down the steps was [not normal]."
Tate's uncle said she was a sweet, loving woman.
"She never knew a stranger," he said. "When she see you, she gon' greet you with a hug. She don't care if she know you or not."
Tate was like any other 19-year-old, her family said. She loved hip-hop. One time, when she was about 2-and-a-half years old, she was riding in the back seat of a car, her aunt Lisa Giles remembered.
"She got up out the car seat and started dancing like her mama was," Giles said with a chuckle.
"We didn't know that she touched this many lives," she said of the crowd gathered in the parking lot in front of Tate's apartment.
In an effort to make young people think twice before picking up a gun, Tate's family asked Chattanooga police Sgt. Josh May to attend Wednesday's vigil to talk about gun violence in the city.
May has dedicated his career to crime suppression, often speaking to groups of young people about the dangers of gun violence, and is now the supervisor for the police department's gun unit.
"I've been doing this for 18 years," he said. "I got stories of people who had nothing to do with anything that are dead."
"These bullets don't have eyes. One-second decisions affect how many people's lives forever?"
It's the victim's family, as well as the perpetrator's family, he noted. And that's just the people who are directly affected.
"A city this size shouldn't have as many shootings and homicides as we have every single year," May said. "There's no reason for that."
Staff photo by C.B. Schmelter/ Candles burn during a vigil for Quintasia Tate at the Rainbow Creek apartment complex on Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2019 in Chattanooga, Tenn. Tate, 19, was killed on Aug. 26th.For Tate's family, it was important to talk about gun violence because, "We have to stand up. We can't keep sitting behind closed doors," a family member said.
"We can't keep having a moment of silence," she said. "Our young people have to understand that they're not invincible. That it can happen to anybody. Like the sergeant said, it might not be intended for you, but it might get you."
Tealight candles on the cement spelled out #LLTasia J4T, meaning "long live Tasia" and "justice for Tasia."
Police have identified 27-year-old Jemichael Powell as the suspect. He's been added to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation's Most Wanted list and faces charges of criminal homicide and unlawful possession of a firearm.
"[The suspect] didn't have to do that," Tate's uncle said, his voice quiet with emotion. "Should have just left her alone. It was so unnecessary."
In the meantime, he said the family is taking things step by step.
"That's what's always kept us [going], is prayer and our values and God," he said. "That's our foundation. That's how we get through it, and just reflecting on the good times."
On Wednesday, Tate's loved ones gathered in a circle around the candles for a moment of silence before sharing a few words.
"All she wanted was to be loved, and this is pure love right here," one family member said.
Her uncle thanked the many people who showed up and pleaded for peace to be kept.
"We are not out for revenge," he said. "We are out for justice, but not revenge. Please, let's keep the peace and not allow this to continue to happen."
Then, as the sun set, a bouquet of red, black and silver balloons was released.
"Long live Tasia!" the crowd shouted as the balloons floated away into the sky.
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