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Korynn Gaines, 23, was shot and killed by Baltimore County Police Monday after she barricaded herself inside her apartment and pointed a shotgun at officers attempting to serve an arrest warrant, police said. 200 people gathered Friday night for a candlelight vigil Korryn Gaines, the Randallstown woman shot and killed by Baltimore County police during an hours-long standoff earlier this week.
The sunset vigil was held at the entrance of the ornate Baltimore City College, the school where Gaines, 23, graduated from in 2010.
Friends, relatives and mourners held candles and signs and gathered near silver balloons that spelled Korryn. Elderly relatives sat in chairs with tears streaming down their cheeks as cousins denounced the Baltimore County Police Department.
Gaines' cousin, Creo Brady, spoke during the vigil, saying that Baltimore County police unjustly took her life.
"She wasn't careless, she was fearless," Brady said to the crowd. One of Gaines' cousins, Michael Mason, spoke at the vigil about how police did not allow relatives see the child for several hours.
The department is withholding the name of the officer who shot Gaines, citing "an unprecedented number of threats" against specific members of the department. The department typically releases last names of officers involved in shootings after 48 hours.
Gaines captured part of the confrontation on cellphone videos she took and posted online. Police requested Facebook deactivate her social media accounts during the standoff after they said other users were encouraging Gaines to ignore police negotiators. Some have criticized the social media site for complying with the department because Gaines' video offered a record of the confrontation.
Instagram, which is owned by Facebook, has kept two of Gaines' videos offline. A company spokeswoman said they violated the site's terms of service.
With files from the Baltimore Sun
