EAST CLEVELAND, Ohio — Friday afternoon, the family of Alishah Pointer walked united up to the house on Savannah Avenue where East Cleveland police found her body earlier this week.
They held a vigil and balloon release to honor 22-year-old Pointer.
“This is very devastating and traumatic for our family and no family should have to go through something like this,” said Pointer’s aunt Michaela Smith.
Her family described her as an outgoing, compassionate and caring young woman.
Friday’s vigil came just hours after East Cleveland Police arrested a sixth person in her case, a 20-year-old woman. Police are still looking for Hakeen Ali Shomo. They’re also working to identify an eighth person who may have taken part in the crime.
Investigators said last Thursday that Pointer's attackers kidnapped two women and held one of them at gunpoint. The attackers made that woman drive to Pointer's home to lure her out. Officials said then Pointer was kidnapped, tortured and shot.
They received a tip and found her body in the basement of the burned out home on Savannah Avenue.
Pointer's family is trying to make sense of a crime that is senseless.
“All of the pain and suffering that she’s endured but she’s free now. She’s free,” said Pointer's grandmother.
Police believe the group of attackers targeted Pointer because they thought she had information about a recent deadly shooting in Cleveland.
But Pointer's twin sister Aalyiah said that’s not the case.
“I’m so angry that this happened to an innocent person and especially my best friend,” said Aalyiah. “She was good to people and they did this to the wrong person.”
Aalyiah is outraged, but hopeful that justice will be swift.
“Reckless people, heartless people and they don’t need to be out here doing things like this,” she said.
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