ALLIANCE ‒ Family and friends of 15-year-old Kennedy A. Wise will gather June 27 at Cassaday-Turkle-Christian Funeral Home for calling hours.
Calling hours will be 1 to 5 p.m., and a private burial is planned at Marlboro Cemetery.
Wise was shot and killed June 19 at home, and the suspect is in custody.
A GoFundMe account has been established to help her family with expenses. More than $36,000 had been collected as of noon June 26.
The account said Wise was “tragically and senselessly taken” after she was shot and killed by a 14-year-old boy in her home in Alliance.
“No parent should ever have to endure the unimaginable pain of losing a child,” the account said.
According to her obituary, Wise attended Alliance High School and had a passion for beauty and cosmetology, and loved animals. She had four pets.
“Her mother was not only her parent, but also her best friend, and the bond they shared was one of deep love, friendship and unwavering support,” the obituary said.
In addition to her parents, Wise is survived by four brothers, a sister and numerous aunts, uncles and cousins. She also is survived by grandparents and a great-grandmother.
“Kennedy’s beautiful spirit, loving heart, and bright future will be remembered always by those fortunate enough to have known her,” the obituary said.
The boy’s next court date is June 30; his mom’s case goes to grand jury
The Repository is not naming the defendants because of the child’s age and the level of charges. The shooting is under investigation as accidental or reckless.
Police have said the boy took his mother’s gun to the girl’s house with another friend June 19, was playing with it and pointed it at Wise. He then fired the gun.
Police said the boy said he removed the loaded magazine from the gun, but said he didn’t know a bullet remained in the chamber when he pulled the trigger.
The boy’s friend does not face charges in the incident.
After he shot Wise, the boy took the gun with him and told his mother that the death was a suicide. His mother, 47, brought the gun back to the scene.
The boy’s mother faces a felony count of tampering with evidence, accused of moving the gun her son allegedly used to shoot and kill Wise. She also told 911 dispatchers that the girl died by suicide and police said she allegedly staged the scene to look like a suicide.
The boy pleaded not true − the equivalent of “not guilty” in adult court − on June 22 to multiple juvenile charges in Stark County Family Court in Canton.
The juvenile charges are reckless homicide, involuntary manslaughter, tampering with evidence, obstructing official business, negligent assault, falsification and discharging firearms within the city.
His next scheduled court date in the case is a pretrial conference on June 30.
Police said the mother could face additional charges because the gun was not secured.
His mother, with attorney Ty Graham, appeared June 26 in Alliance Municipal Court for a preliminary hearing with Magistrate Angelique Ruhl. The mother wiped away tears, then waived her right to a preliminary hearing on the felony charge. Her case now will head to the Stark County grand jury.
She remains free on a $25,000 cash or surety bond, which was posted June 23.
Reach Benjamin Duer at 330-580-8567 or ben.duer@cantonrep.com.
This article originally appeared on The Alliance Review: Kennedy Wise’s wake is June 27 as suspect, mother’s cases move forward
Reporting by Benjamin Duer, Canton Repository / The Alliance Review
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Benjamin Duer, Canton Repository | USA TODAY Network
