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The mother of a 24-year-old woman killed in a weekend Kansas City, Mo., nightclub shooting says she's struggling to cope with the devastating loss of her only daughter.
Tamika Bowman described her daughter, Tishauna Ballard, as "a very sweet, genuine person" who was "loving, caring, protective."
"She was just my baby," Bowman said.
Ballard was one of two women shot and killed at Status nightclub early Sunday morning. The second woman killed was 29-year-old Eboni Silas.
"I'm confused, I'm hurt, I'm lost. I can't breathe," Bowman said.
Jackson County prosecutors charged 27-year-old Dontae Brooks with two counts of second-degree murder in the shooting deaths of Ballard and Silas. While the arrest brings some relief to Bowman, she says nothing can bring back her daughter.
"Because no matter what happens at this point, we still can't get our children back," Bowman said.
Bowman said her daughter lived life to the fullest and loved to travel. Her life ended during what should have been a night of celebration.
Bowman is left to prepare for her daughter's celebration of life.
"She can't experience anything now, she can't do nothing," said Bowman. "I have to go put her in a dress and put her in a ground. How do you do that?"
A makeshift memorial for the two victims continues to grow outside the nightclub.
Bowman believes the tragedy could have been prevented with better security measures.
"A simple turn away could have stopped all this," said Bowman. "Just, you can't come in here, you have to leave."
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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