Vigil held for Fuquay-Varina murder victim
FUQUAY-VARINA, N.C. (WTVD) -- A community said goodbye Tuesday to a young mother they describe as a loving person who was strong in her faith. It's that shared faith loved ones hope will get them through their tragic loss.
Last Thursday night, Fuquay-Varina police responded to a call at a home on Bridge Street just after 9:30 p.m. When they arrived they found 22-year-old Britny Puryear with a gunshot wound to the head. Neighbors told ABC11 she lived with her boyfriend, who police later arrested and charged with her murder.
Logan McLean, 21, is also charged with possession of a firearm by a felon. Together, the two have a five-month-old son, Andre Jordan. He's now with his grandparents - Puryear's parents.
Puryear's funeral was Tuesday in Raleigh at Montlawn Funeral Home. It was packed with barely standing room only. Hours later, loved ones met again for a candlelight vigil in her honor.
That vigil was held in South Park in Fuquay-Varina, where Puryear's friends say she spent a lot of her childhood playing softball with her friends. Together, more than 50 people, including Puryear's parents, shared stories, tears, and a message about domestic violence they hope will change someone's life.
"If he ever hits you, hurts you, leave him immediately. He does not love you. Leave him before it's too late," said Stephen Puryear, Britny's father.
Stephen Puryear believes that "too late" came for his daughter.
"She was a beautiful lady, and she was well loved in the community. It's time to stop domestic violence," said Puryear.
Hours before, he stood in front of the crowd at the vigil, all holding candles and balloons with messages of love for Britney.
"My heart is broken," said Puryear, "I'm going to let the Lord take care of my sadness and my anger, and I'm going to let the Lord take care of her murderer."
The loss of Britny's life is heavy for her family and her community. Many at the funeral and the vigil watched her grow and grew up with her.
"She's the person I share the most childhood memories with," said Kayla Perkinson, a longtime friend of Britny.
Perkinson also organized the vigil to celebrate her friend and share her story in hopes of possibly saving a life.
"We're all sitting here wondering, if we had known, if we had said something different, would things have been different?" said Perkinson.
Perkinson said the two didn't talk as much recently, and she assumed it was normal growing pains of life after high school. Still, she said she noticed some changes during Britny's pregnancy.
"She had her little boy, Jordan. He's 5 months old. For the last few months of her pregnancy, she became close again with her family," remembered Perkinson, "After the baby was born, she kind of disappeared again."
So at the end of the vigil, before everyone blew out their candles, they said goodbye to the girl they played ball with, the young woman who became a mother, and the light in their lives they hope can now be a light for someone else.
A representative from InterAct, a non-profit that works to end domestic violence, was also at the vigil.
If you or someone you know needs help, InterAct has a 24-hour crisis line, which is (919) 828-7740 or toll free at (866) 291-0855.
There's also a fundraising website for Britny's family. Click here for more.
