'She was a good person.' Fayetteville mom remembers daughter lost to gun violence
A grieving mother spoke to ABC11 after losing her child in a shooting at a Fayetteville gas station.
She wants her daughter to be remembered for the person she was, not how she died.
"She just loved to be outside, she loved to be around people, she loved animals, you know, her family," Susan Golcher said.
Golcher describes her daughter Danielle as a sweet and compassionate animal lover who was often helping others. The 19-year-old was known for being a passionate, talented softball player.
It's through the sport she's been playing since she was a small child that Danielle found a sense of belonging and lots of friends.
"It was just like a big family for her, with her teammates. She has like so many people that, I didn't realize that she had such an effect on."
Golcher says it's been a struggle for her and for so many in Danielle's community who loved her.
Fayetteville police say Danielle Golcher was found with a gunshot wound at a Valero gas station at around 1:30 Monday morning where she died of her injuries. Police say a man was also taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Police have not released any information about a shooting suspect. The shooting is still under investigation.
"There have been a few comments about well, you know, as a parent, why would you let your kid go out?"
"And I'm like, she's 19. I can't keep her in a bubble. I can hope she makes the right choices. And then I've tried to guide her to make the right choices, you know. But, you know, she's got to live her life and try to make her own way. And unfortunately, you know, this incident happened and now she can't do that," Golcher said.
She says it pains her that young women like her daughter are so vulnerable when stepping out into the world. But she says young women should have the freedom to go where they want--and still be safe from being attacked. Only a day after Danielle was killed, there was another shooting at another Fayetteville gas station. Golcher says she is disturbed by the gun violence in the community.
"Sometimes you're just afraid to go anywhere. You look at somebody the wrong way or bump into somebody and it's just scary."
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