'She Got Shot, Please Help': Mom Of Girl Killed In Jersey City Recounts Tragic Night

JERSEY CITY, NJ — The stepmother of the teenage girl who was shot to death in Jersey City on Jan. 18 spoke out Tuesday about what happened that day, and shared memories of her stepdaughter.

Xiao Kuang, 37, was shot on that Saturday night along with her stepdaughter Cianna, while both were heading home in Jersey City after a birthday gathering.

Kuang said Tuesday that a bullet only grazed her back, while a gunshot killed her 15-year-old stepdaughter.

Last Thursday, investigators took a 16-year-old Jersey City boy into custody and charged him with murder in connection with the double shooting.

A Short Drive, And A Boy With A Gun

Lee told Patch on Tuesday that she wanted to share memories of her stepdaughter and correct misinformation that has spread in media outlets.

She said that on that Saturday night, the pair attended a celebration of her husband's father's birthday in the family's Jersey City home. Her father-in-law, who is Cianna's grandfather, was turning 71.

Her father-in-law lives in a different part of Jersey City. Kuang considered getting an Uber to take him home, she said, but since he lives five to ten minutes away, she decided to drive him. Cianna came along in the passenger seat, as she often would drive with her stepmom, Kuang said.

Cianna had come to the U.S. just last March after living most of her life in Jamaica, Kuang said. Kuang had met and married Cianna's father several years ago, and traveled with him to Jamaica to meet the girl.

Cianna's mother in Jamaica allowed her to move to Jersey City last March for "a better life," Kuang said.

After the pair dropped off Cianna's grandfather on Jan. 18, around 10:30 p.m., "We were coming home, along the normal route," Kuang said. "All of a sudden she recognized one of the people [outside], mentioned his name. She said it to herself. Then all of a sudden she took cover. She saw something dangerous, I believe."

Kuang was still driving, she said, even though some news outlets reported that she had parked.

"I heard the sound of the gunfire," she said. "At that point I thought I drove over a bottle or something like that."

She added, "I was like, 'Cianna, are you okay?' She was not responding. I reached out to her, and my hand filled with blood. That's when I realized she was shot."

Kuango added, "I looked in rear mirror. I saw a person standing in the middle of the street still pointing a gun at us."

She said she found out that the person whom Cianna recognized was not the same person as the boy who was charged in the shooting. She said she doesn't think Cianna knew the shooter.

"She doesn't really know them," she said, still using present tense for her stepdaughter. "Cianna is not the type of person hanging on the street. She has a limited time to go to school, a limited time to get home. When she goes out, she usually goes out with family."

She added, "I don't even know what kind of motive this person had. I can't figure out any connection."

Kuang said after she realized Cianna was hurt, she continued home because their house was on the route to the hospital. She called her husband to come out and help. He jumped in the car and they sped to Jersey City Medical Center, calling 911 to let them know they were on their way.

Once they arrived, no one was outside except random people walking, Kuang said. Her husband tried to lift Cianna, who still had a pulse, but she was unconscious and hard to carry.

Kuang said they saw both a random man and woman walking outside and screamed, "She got shot, please help."

The Hudson County Prosecutor's Office has said that Cianna was pronounced dead at 1:20 a.m.

Attended Hearing

Kuang said that earlier on Tuesday, she had virtually attended the first court appearance of the 16-year-old boy who has been charged. She said the appearance mostly consisted of legal statements and she didn't have to speak. She said the suspect didn't enter a plea, and she will have to attend the next hearing.

She said it was emotionally difficult to attend, but it helped her to do it virtually.

When asked for memories of Cianna, she said, "She's a very driven girl. She has a lot of random ideas. She will make us laugh. She's really beautiful soul. She's really caring, very kind, and sometimes she will tell me, 'I see this person on the street. I really want to help them.' I say, "You need to focus on your education first and then you can help these people.' "

She said Cianna has a baby brother who isn't talking yet.

"Sometimes I can see that he's looking for her," she said. "He's used to certain times, his sister comes home from school. She gives him breakfast. A baby can tell a lot of things."

Kuang attended a balloon launch for Cianna last Sunday at Lincoln High School, where the teen was a freshman. Kuang said she got to talk to classmates who shared memories.

The family will have a service for Cianna this Thursday, she said, but she will be buried in Jamaica, at her mother's request. The family will have a service there, too.

Kuang said the family took Cianna on several adventures during their time together.

She said Cianna was impressed by the amount of "space" to do things in America, and wasn't used to the temperatures in winter.

"It was an eye opening experience for her," she said. "The weather was very different. This was her first winter. The temperature started dropping a little bit, and she said, 'I cannot feel my hands. I cannot feel my face.' And then she immediately fell in love with the winter. We took her to New England, because it was snowing there before it snowed here."

She added, "It was her first time seeing snow. She was playing with the snow outside for a long time. I asked, 'Aren't you cold?' She said, "I am, but I love the snow so much. It's so beautiful."

She said Cianna would have turned 16 in early March.

Cianna's death was the second fatal shooting in Jersey City so far this year. A 17-year-old boy was arrested in the shooting of a 20-year-old man on Jan. 3. Cianna is also among 28 children fatally shot in America this year.

A GoFundMe for Lee said, "She moved to the United States to be with her father and to pursue greater opportunities for her future." It had raised $16,334 by Tuesday. READ MORE: Fundraiser Set Up For Family Of Jersey City Teen Who Was Fatally Shot