It was the worst Metro crash, ever. On June 22, 2009, nine were killed. 80 were hurt.
On Thursday night, about two dozen of their family members gathered in grief at Legacy Memorial Park. It’s in the shadow of the crash site, near Fort Totten Metro.
“It helps when we’re together,” said Tawanda Brown. Her daughter, Nikki King, was 23. She was the youngest killed in the crash. Now, her sons are just understanding the significance of this day.
“We miss mom but the boys are a reflection of how much love she was,” said Brown.
Andre was four. Emmanuel was just two. Now they’re regular boys, growing up without a mom.
“I choose that their mother’s death not be in vain,” said Brown. Recently she made that a point. She went as Andre's date to his middle school's mother-son dance. Mom was there, sort of. Tawanda wore a pair of Nikki's shoes.
“In that instant, it felt like his mom was there,” said Brown.
Brown insists this dark anniversary is made a little brighter by a growing generation.
“They bring a whole different perspective to this day,” she said.
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