NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — Family and friends gathered in Joe Brown Park to honor the life of 19-year-old Paige Torregano.
Torregano was fatally shot on Tuesday at a tire shop on Chef Menteur Highway. Her mother claims she was getting her tire changed when she and another woman were ambushed – both shot.
“She was a sweetheart, to know her is to love her, all her teachers are out here, her manager is out here from her job,” said Torregano’s mother Kimberly Gentry.
Emotions were high at Joe Brown Park. The community circled up, praying around life-size cardboard cut outs of Torregano.
“I thought I would grow old with my kids and my kids would bury me first,” said Gentry.
Green and white balloons lined the sky in Torregano’s memory.
“That was her favorite colors – she call herself Ms. Rich because that’s all she did is work,” Gentry added.
Her work family was also at the vigil, remaining in shock that one of their employees is gone.
“When I saw her leave work that morning at 9:00 a.m. this isn’t somebody I thought wasn’t going to come back at 9:00 p.m.,” said Torregano’s manager Gina Allen. “Everybody at work is feeling it – we’ve put signs up all around no weapons around the store.”
Her mother continues to wait for answers on her daughter’s killer.
“They can’t identify them because they have full face masks,” said Gentry, adding that’s why she’s advocating for a new law – Paige’s Law.
“We need to ban full face masks so I’m trying to start a law, Paige’s Law, so you cannot wear a full face mask,” said Gentry.
A funeral for Torregano is set for Friday. The other person wounded in the shooting was New Orleans City Councilmember Oliver Thomas’ niece.
At last check, she was hospitalized in critical condition.
