MILWAUKEE — A growing memorial now marks the alley where 42-year-old Kristy Syed was found shot to death over the Fourth of July weekend, as her family remembers her for the joy she brought to others while searching for answers.
"Kristy was loved — a mother, a sister, a friend," her sister, Lynnette Stiff, said.
"She was everything to us."
Milwaukee police said officers responded to the 2700 block of South 10th Street around 1 a.m. Sunday, July 5, where they found Syed suffering from multiple gunshot wounds.
She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Watch: 'She was everything to us': Family remembers Milwaukee mother killed in alley shooting
Standing beside the memorial Tuesday, Stiff described her younger sister and mother of one as someone with "the most bubbly laugh" whose "voice and laugh were so contagious."
Stiff said Syed had struggled with addiction, but had celebrated six months of sobriety in the past and was trying to get clean.
"Her life could be in the drain, and she'd still spread a smile and find a way to be happy," Stiff said.
She said Syed especially loved animals, festivals, water parks, and her nine-year-old son.
A neighbor shared surveillance video with TMJ4 that shows a vehicle backing into the alley shortly before the shooting.
Police said they identified a person of interest who was later found dead from a suspected overdose.
Investigators said they are not seeking any additional suspects and are continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the shooting.
Stiff said her family is focused on honoring Syed's memory while hoping to understand what happened.
"Why? Why? I want answers," Stiff said.
"She had the best heart.”
Her family has created a GoFundMe to help pay for funeral expenses.
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