Tayana Smith, who helped raise 10-year-old Persayus Davis, says she was devastated when she got the call that Davis had been shot and killed early Wednesday morning.

"It tore me into a million pieces to get that call and it tore me into a million different pieces when I showed up and saw all the police tape and all the police cruisers and they wouldn't let me in to see her and I still haven't seen her," Smith said. "I need to see her to make sure she's not here anymore."

Smith was not only Davis' Godmother, but a second mother after taking her in when Davis' biological mother needed help.

"This little girl came and just took over my whole heart and I couldn't say no to her and so I had her for four years and I was her mom," Smith said. "She was just a loving kid, she was super fun, she had an infectious laugh, she was just a good kid you know she had a lot of energy and a heart of gold."

The last time Smith saw Persayus was Sunday.

"I went down there because she said her phone camera wasn't working and I went to see if I could fix it or if I had to get her another one so we could stay connected and I wish I would have taken her then and kept her for a few days you know and I didn't," Smith said.

Tayana says the entire family is struggling to come to grips with the reality that this sweet little girl is gone.

"I'm devastated," Smith said. "I called her so many names. Pumpkin pie, honey bunny, Persnickeous Challenacord which she hated the most but I loved calling her that because she was like mommy stop it, haha and it would be so funny."

As the family grieves this senseless tragedy, they are calling for peace and an end to the street justice that is plaguing the city of Youngstown.

"I'd rather see the perpetrators behind bars than another mother feeling like we are feeling because there is no justice in that, there is now justice with her laying on that slab in the morgue right now, there's no justice," Smith said. "What justice does that serve? There's none."

Smith believes Persayus' older brother is who the shooters were targeting and this is the second time the house has been shot up. She is calling for the community to sit down at the table and discuss solutions so other families don't go through the devastation. She is praying police will be able to find Persayus' killer.