SAVANNAH, Ga. (WSAV) – The mother of a 15-year-old who was fatally shot in Yamacraw Village last May is now suing the Housing Authority of Savannah.
Around 10 p.m. on May 6, officers responded to the 900 block of Yamacraw Village for a shooting and discovered Desaray Gilliard suffering from gunshot wounds. She was transported to a hospital, where she later died as a result of her injuries.
Though her killer remains unknown, that hasn’t stopped her family from demanding that someone be held accountable.
The new suit claims the Housing Authority of Savannah did nothing to make the complex safe for its residents.
Multiple Yamcraw Village residents told WSAV its not safe, nor are the apartments livable, and that much hasn’t changed since the night Desaray was killed.
“It’s not livable,” said an anonymous Yamacraw resident. “It’s not safe and I don’t think that we should be living in this type of predicament with the shooting with her. The shootings that’s been happening afterwards.”
Just last month outside of that mother’s apartment, her car was caught in the crossfire.
“My car got shot five times. And the law enforcement was involved but nothing still was found so it’s like nothing really changed,” said the anonymous resident.
The suit places blame squarely on the Housing Authority for not employing security officers nor for having surveillance cameras for the 315-unit public housing complex that was built back in 1940.
People News 3 spoke to say there is a consistent police presence but don’t feel that it deters violence.
The mother WSAV spoke to says she won’t ever let her children outside by themselves because of it.
“Don’t let them outside. When we do come outside it’s like an hour or 30 minutes,” she said. “I’ll come out here and sit with them and I monitor them. Because like I said it’s not safe. So I really don’t let them outside.”
While Desaray’s case has not been solved, the Savannah Police Department recently raised the reward to $15,000 for any information that would lead to an arrest in the killing.
