Mother of Chicago cop, 24, gunned down in her front yard reveals heartbreaking ... trends now
A Chicago police officer who was killed on her front porch by four teenagers as she returned home from work has been laid to rest.
Areanah Preston, 24, was gunned down in front of her home on 81st Street and Blackstone Avenue on May 6 following a night shift.
Family, friends and colleagues said their final goodbyes to her during a moving funeral at Trinity United Church of Christ on Wednesday.
Her mother Dionne Mhoon was in tears throughout the service and revealed a heartbreaking letter to her daughter in the funeral program.
Joseph Brooks, 18, Jakwon Buchanan, 18, Trevell Breeland, 19, and Jaylan Frazier, 16, were all charged as adults with first-degree murder.
A Chicago police officer who was killed on her front porch by four teenagers as she returned home from work has been laid to rest
Family, friends and colleagues said their final goodbyes to Areanah Preston during a moving funeral at Trinity United Church of Christ on Wednesday
Her mother Dionne Mhoon was in tears throughout the service and told those who gathered 'death is only a tragic thing if you have not lived. My baby lived'
Dionne paid tribute to her daughter and described her as a 'kid full of life, dreams, big goals and wanted to make major changes.'
She said: 'In this tragic situation, my family and I feel triumph,' she said. 'We feel grace. We feel the love. We feel the hugs. And most importantly, we feel God's presence over us.
'There is a presence of Areanah's presence saying, keep going, momma. You always wanted to be like me.'
Dionne added: 'Confident, determined, brave, smart, outgoing, beautiful, witty, loyal, generous, genuine, quaint, attentive, funny, giving, youthful, fashionable, unforgettable, and the ray of light.'
'A few words to describe my baby, yet there will never be enough to define just how much of a sunflower Areanah Makayla Preston truly was to us as parents and family, and now the world.
'I was determined to invest in her so that, in return, she invested in the world, and Areanah did just that. She did more than I could even imagine.
'When people say you did an awesome job as a mother, that speaks volumes to me. It is so heartwarming to see just the impact she had on the city of Chicago and beyond.'
She said she plans to 'lead, love and be just like you — brave and bold with a warm spirit and a contagious
