On February 13th, the Michigan State University campus underwent a shelter-in-place order after an active shooter was reported. The aftermath of this mass shooting resulted in four deaths and five injuries. Deelishis’s niece, Arielle Diamond, was of those tragically killed in this horrific attack. The Flavor of Love 2 star initially took to Instagram to ask followers about Diamond’s whereabouts.
“My beautiful niece @ariellediamond_ is a student at Michigan State University… she was in her classroom in the same building as the active shooter and we have not heard from her, ” Deelishis wrote. “If you know her whereabouts please dm me… in the meantime my family and I ask for your prayers.” Diamond, who was 19 at the time, was studying at MSU with hopes of becoming a pediatrician.
Deelishis Says Her Niece Was “Innocent”
Nearly a week after the shooting, Deelishis sat down with NewsNation‘s Chris Cuomo in an emotional interview about Diamond’s death. “She was good, she was innocent, she was family,” the grieving aunt told the news anchor. “She was important, she was loved, she was kindness, she was goodness. This shouldn’t have happened to her.” The emotional interview brought tears to Deelishis’ eyes as she recounted the life of her late niece.
Deelishis, who initially rose to fame after winning Flavor of Love 2, continued to reflect on her niece’s impact. When asked about the legacy that Diamond would have built, she responded, “She would have definitely been a contribution. She still will be a contribution, you know the devil won’t win. She has a purpose that’s gonna definitely live out.”
Deelishis Mourns Her Late Niece, Diamond
The 45-year-old media personality has continued to post on Instagram in Diamond’s honor. In her most recent post, she writes, “As you can imagine, this is tough for my family. But we refuse to lose our Faith in God, even in the midst of our greatest challenges and crisis.”
While the identity of the MSU shooting suspect is confirmed, a motive is seemingly impossible to identify. The 43-year-old gunman concluded his killing spree with a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to CNN. The outlet reports that chaos ensued across the campus, which in turn affected distant family members, including Deelishis. For more updates regarding this ongoing investigation, be sure to check out HNHH.