Latest news with #A'erica's
Miami Herald
05-05-2025
- Climate
- Miami Herald
Tree falls on home, killing 10-year-old in bed with her grandma, GA family says
A 10-year-old girl died and two other people were injured after a large tree crashed through the roof of her family's home, Georgia firefighters said. It happened at about 3 a.m. Saturday, May 3, on Mims Street in Atlanta's Mozley Park neighborhood, according to the Atlanta Fire Rescue Department. Family members said A'erica Dixon was lying in bed with her grandma when a tree split and fell onto the house, according to WXIA. They were trapped, as were A'erica's mom and three siblings, WAGA reported. Her mom and grandmother were taken to a hospital, but A'erica died from her injuries, according to city fire officials. Loved ones said A'erica was known by her friends and family as 'Tink.' 'Tink was a very happy child who was a cheerleader,' her cousin, Tomeka Dixon, wrote on a GoFundMe page for the family. 'She loved dancing and making TikTok videos & playing with her toys.' Several Atlanta-area counties were placed under a severe thunderstorm watch late Saturday evening as heavy storms rolled into the region, according to the National Weather Service. 'The house just started shaking,' A'erica's older sister, Akiylah Dixon, recalled to WANF. 'Everything just crashed, and I just see my mama running through the hallway to get to my grandma.' 'I broke down really bad, because that wasn't just my little sister. That was my best friend,' she told the station. Relatives said a limb of the tree had fallen before, barely missing the family's SUV during Hurricane Helene in 2023, WXIA reported. 'The landlord was informed about it, and they were supposed to come and cut the whole entire tree down so this wouldn't happen again,' Erica Melson, a relative, told the station. A funeral for A'erica will be held May 24, according to GoFundMe.
05-05-2025
10-year-old girl struck, killed by tree that fell on her Atlanta home
A 10-year-old girl was struck and killed by a tree that fell on her Atlanta home when severe storms blew through the city this weekend, officials said. Six people lived in the house where the tree crashed down around 3 a.m. Saturday, according to Atlanta Fire Rescue. The 10-year-old, identified by family as A'erica Shukai, was killed and her mother and grandmother were injured and hospitalized in stable condition, fire rescue officials said. A'erica was lying in bed sleeping next to her grandmother when the tree fell, according to A'erica's cousin, Tomeka Dixon. A'erica's mom has been released but her grandmother remains in the hospital, Dixon told ABC News on Monday. A'erica, who loved cheerleading and making TikTok videos, just turned 10 on April 15, Dixon said. She's survived by her mother, grandmother, two sisters and brother. A'erica's father died two years ago "and the family is still grieving from his loss," according to a GoFundMe set up by Dixon. "I'm just trying to be there for my family," she said. "We ask that all Georgians join us in praying for her loved ones during this difficult time," Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp wrote on social media. The family plans to hold a candlelight vigil on Friday night, Dixon said.
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Yahoo
10-year-old girl struck, killed by tree that fell on her Atlanta home
A 10-year-old girl was struck and killed by a tree that fell on her Atlanta home when severe storms blew through the city this weekend, officials said. Six people lived in the house where the tree crashed down around 3 a.m. Saturday, according to Atlanta Fire Rescue. MORE: Thunderstorms, flash flooding threaten millions in south-central US The 10-year-old, identified by family as A'erica Shukai, was killed and her mother and grandmother were injured and hospitalized in stable condition, fire rescue officials said. A'erica was lying in bed sleeping next to her grandmother when the tree fell, according to A'erica's cousin, Tomeka Dixon. A'erica's mom has been released but her grandmother remains in the hospital, Dixon told ABC News on Monday. A'erica, who loved cheerleading and making TikTok videos, just turned 10 on April 15, Dixon said. She's survived by her mother, grandmother, two sisters and brother. A'erica's father died two years ago "and the family is still grieving from his loss," according to a GoFundMe set up by Dixon. "I'm just trying to be there for my family," she said. "We ask that all Georgians join us in praying for her loved ones during this difficult time," Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp wrote on social media. The family plans to hold a candlelight vigil on Friday night, Dixon said. ABC News' Mariama Jalloh contributed to this report. 10-year-old girl struck, killed by tree that fell on her Atlanta home originally appeared on
