A man in a Cubs hat walked close to the crime tape, bent his knees and pointed. He could see Armond's body if he looked the right way through the rows of officers' legs. She was lying on the sidewalk. She wasn't moving.



He brought two fingers to the back of his jaw, under his ear, as if feeling for his pulse. "She's shot right there."



A shirtless man — Armond's brother — walked quickly toward the line of officers at the crime tape. He got within a few feet of the nearest officers, pressing forward as they told him to stay back, when another man grabbed him from behind in a bear hug and dragged him away. They stayed down the block, one man embracing the other.



Meanwhile, a 16-year-old girl in the crowd, Jessica Williams, collapsed on the sidewalk, her hand to her throat. People clustered around, waving their hands to get someone's attention. "She can't breathe," they said.



The girl apparently had an asthma attack. She stayed on the ground, silent and barely moving. Paramedics put her on a stretcher and placed her in an ambulance that carried her to St. Bernard Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Autopsy results were pending further tests.



Police reported no one in custody Thursday afternoon and released no description of the shooter. Witnesses at the scene were being uncooperative, police said.



Deborah Reeves, 39, said she was grateful she did not have to plan a funeral for her daughter, thanks to the actions of her friend.



"Grateful is not even the word for it," Reeves said. "For me to try and express that, I would have to make up a word. I'm beyond grateful. If it wasn't for her, my daughter probably would be dead."



Reeves said her daughter will have to undergo reconstructive surgery. The family hopes doctors will be able restore full function to her hand.



"The love of her life is basketball," Reeves said. "When I first got to St. Bernard Hospital, she was screaming and hollering, 'How am I supposed to play basketball?' She has a long recovery with her hand, I'm quite sure.



"But you have people shot twice in the back, two funerals that have to be planned," she added. "I'm grateful."