Family mourns 16-year-old girl killed in Reserve shooting: 'She wasn't supposed to be in that car' (2024)

Aariah Henry was supposed to be spending the night at a friend's house on Saturday.

But the 16-year-old rising junior at East St. John High School sneaked out to attend a party, a common teenage infraction that her mom and dad say wound up costing Aariah her life.

The teen was shot and killed early Sunday morning when someone opened fire on a car in which she was riding in Reserve, according to the St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff's Office.

"She wasn't supposed to be at that party. She wasn't supposed to be in that car," her grieving father, Clarence Henry, 37, said Monday.

St. John sheriff's detectives are still working to identify suspects in the case, Sheriff Mike Tregre said. Though the vehicle was targeted, investigators don't believe Aariah was the intended victim.

The shooting was reported on Airline Highway near Central Avenue in Reserve, Tregre said. Aariah was one of six people crammed into a black Dodge Challenger that stopped at a convenience store just before 2 a.m.

The suspect vehicle, a silver Kia sedan, appears to have been waiting for the Challenger to exit the parking lot, according to Tregre.

As soon as Challenger pulled out, the sedan began following and pulled alongside the car before opening fire.

Aariah was the only person in the vehicle who was hit.She was taken to St. James Parish Hospital in Lutcher but died of her injuries.

"We believe they were after someone else in that Challenger," Tregre said. "But no one is talking."

Aariah's family and friends are devastated by her murder.

"This has taken a toll," her mother, 36-year-old Bianca Bridgewater of Reserve said. "We're just trying to understand it."

Aariah was raised in Marrero, the only girl with four brothers, according to her father.

"That was my princess," Clarence Henry, of Waggaman, said. "She had a heart of gold."

She was shy with a sweet, goofy, lovable and generous personality, her family said. Aariah's laugh was striking, according to her mother. It started with a giggle that always grew louder by the second.

A rising junior at East St. John High School in Reserve, Aariah had developed a love of fashion, makeup and hair, Clarence Henry said. Her favorite color was dark purple.

Aariah wanted to join the U.S. Air Force and become a nurse like her stepmother, Destiney Henry.

She also loved to cook. Aariah was always in the kitchen, Bridgewater said. She loved making spicy dishes, pastas and avocado egg toast.

Clarence Henry's favorite dish was his daughter's chicken pasta. And her brownies, he said. Aariah had actually just bought groceries to make chicken pasta for the family as a Monday night dinner, Clarence Henry said.

Aariah's relatives asked the public to help authorities identify the people responsible for her death.

"Make peace with God. Get your life together. Turn yourself in," Clarence Henry said.

While hatred hasn't consumed him, Clarence Henry's grief was tinged with anger and frustration. Though kids will be kids, he said, he admitted to being angry with his daughter making the decision to sneak out.

"Things can happen in a split second. Kids need to listen to their parents," he said, hoping that a teen somewhere else may find a lesson in the tragedy.

Clarence Henry was also battling a sense of helplessness. When Aariah was little, she'd call her father her Superman, a role he took to heart.

"I never wanted to let her down, and I feel so bad that I wasn't there to save her," he said.

Anyone with information about the death of Aariah Henry is asked to call Capt. Brandon Barlow of the St. John Parish Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division at 504-494-2674.The public can also call Crimestoppers at 504-822-1111 or toll-free at 1-877-903-7867. Callers do not have to give their names or testify and can earn a $2,500 reward for information that leads to an indictment.