A South Florida mother is desperate for answers after her 19-year-old daughter was shot and killed last week in Fort Lauderdale.
There's a special bond a mother has with her daughter, like the one Brittany Bucknor had with her daughter Destiny.
"We got to the point where we could go hang out and do lunch and then go to the beauty shop or the nail shop and plan mommy and me dates,” Bucknor said.
Destiny Bucknor was the oldest of four and Brittany’s only girl. Bucknor described her daughter as sweet, loving and someone who brings laughter to any room. She had dreams of becoming a firefighter. And at 19, she already overcame one of the biggest fights of her life: lupus.
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"It taught me not to give up with whatever plans and goals you have in life,” Bucknor said.
Destiny's life was cut short last week.
Broward County detectives say Bucknor and another man were in a convertible Slingshot on July 4 going down Northwest 8th Street near 29th Terrace in Fort Lauderdale when someone shot at them. Bucknor died at the hospital. Detectives say she was the passenger.
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"A complete total shock,” Bucknor said. “I don’t have any words to say.”
Brittany Bucknor lives less than two miles away from where her daughter was shot.
“She didn't even get a chance to experience life,” Bucknor said.
Bucknor says she doesn't know who or why, but believes the bullet was not meant for her daughter. There's now a $5,000 reward from Crime Stoppers for information that leads to an arrest.
She's hopeful with or without an award, someone will speak up, and her daughter will get justice.
"I go to sleep and I wake up and I just hope maybe it was the wrong child or the wrong information but it’s not,” Bucknor said. "Losing a child is a different type of pain that I would not wish on anyone and it just hurts, I feel so heartbroken."
Anyone with information on this shooting is asked to call Homicide Detective Steven Novak at 954-321-4325 or submit a tip through the SaferWatch app. If you wish to remain anonymous, please contact Broward Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS (8477), online at browardcrimestoppers.org, or dial **TIPS (8477) from any cellphone in the United States. Anonymous tips that lead to an arrest are eligible for a reward of up to $5,000 from Crime Stoppers.
Bucknor created a GoFundMe to help with funeral costs.
