‘To know her was to love her’: Friends remember mom, toddler killed in Conway shooting
If all Tasjunique Graham had was $5 in her pocket, she wouldn’t hesitate to give it someone in need.
“She felt like you needed it more than her,” according to Laysiia Lee, a childhood friend. “She would give a stranger her last and be completely happy about it.”
Lee met Graham in the fourth grade, and the two have been inseparable since. They are so close many refer to them as sisters. It’s a bond that Lee doesn’t think she can replicate with another person.
“To know her was to love her. Everyone she ever met loved her. She’s one of a kind,” Lee stated.
Graham—and her 3-year-old daughter Bailey Simmon—were gunned down on Sept. 28 at a Suggs Street home. Conway police have not released any details on what led to the shooting or a possible motive. Officers have not made an arrest or announced any suspect information in the case.
Anyone with information on the case is asked to contact Conway police at 843-248-1790.
Bailey was goofy and loved to make people laugh, according to Lee. She was the type of youngster who could turn anyone’s bad day into a good one.
“That funky sweet little girl that anyone could fall in love with,” Lee stated.
Family was important to Graham, Lee noted, and said the 23-year-old would always choose a night in with relatives over heading out with friends.
“She was a great mother and made it look easy,” Lee said. “She would do anything to protect the ones she loved.”
Fellow friend Mercedes Smith called Graham “a great person inside and out.” Graham’s smile brightened up the whole room and she did everything in her power to be successful.
“All she ever wanted to do was take care of her daughter and protect her family and country,” Smith noted. “She knew how to make anyone laugh.”
Lee stated she couldn’t believe she was talking about her childhood friend in the past tense and that Graham should still be around today.
“She was a one of a kind,” Lee stated, “no one will ever top that.”
