DETROIT (WXYZ) — Thirteen-year-old DaMaura Perkins had dreams of going to law school and serving on the United States Supreme Court. She would have started high school this past week, and was a month shy of turning 14 when she died.
"This girl was a phenomenal kid and she had a bright bright future," said DaMaura's mother, Ansariah Musafir.
DaMaura was killed Aug. 31 in a car crash near 6 Mile and Bradford on Detroit's east side. She, along with her god-sister and two older sisters, were all passengers in a stolen Tahoe that crashed into a tree.
Altogether, there were seven girls in the car, which Detroit police said a 16-year-old girl was driving. She took off shortly after the crash, and turned herself into police Sept. 4.
DaMaura was not wearing a seat belt, and was ejected during the crash.
Dozens of people gathered near 6 Mile and Bradford tonight for a vigil in honor of 13-year-old DaMaura Perkins. She died last weekend when the stolen car she was a passenger in crashed into a tree @CrimeInTheD @wxyzdetroit @detroitpolice pic.twitter.com/jB2RDx0b9U
— Jenn Schanz (@JennSchanzWXYZ) September 8, 2019
“Please buckle up. Because seat belts could have saved DaMaura’s life," Musafir told 7 Action News.
Saturday, dozens of friends and family members held a candlelight vigil to celebrate DaMaura's life. They brought balloons with "13" on them, and decorated the tree where DaMaura died in her favorite colors, purple and pink.
“She brought people together," said her cousin Otis Winn.
Fifteen-year-old Durrah Perkins suffered a broken collar bone in the crash. Another one of DaMaura's sister fractured her spine.
“I don’t believe it. Its not real to me," Durrah said Saturday. “I feel like she at her friend's house."
Musafir said her daughters did not know the 16-year-old driver. According to family, they took a ride from the girl when their ride fell through.
"It was a relief when she finally turned herself in," she said.
Musafir hopes this tragedy also serves as a lesson for young people, to not take rides from people they don't know personally.
Possible charges against the 16-year-old driver have not yet been announced. The Wayne County Prosecutor's Office will review the case next week.
Perkins family has created a GoFundMe page to help pay for funeral costs.
