Justine Bernard: 19-Year-Old New Jersey College Student Shot And Killed In Atlanta
Justine Bernard, 19, was shot by a woman while she was visiting Atlanta on Wednesday, June 2, 2021. The University of New Haven student later died at the hospital.
Justine Bernard was visiting Atlanta, Georgia, with friends when things got out of hand.
The Matawan, New Jersey 19-year-old was a psychology major at the University of New Haven.
She had shown an interest in criminal justice as well as forensic psychology.
Those who knew her on campus said she was a bright student with big things planned for her future.
“From the moment I first met Justine as an incoming first-year student at orientation, she left a significant impression,” said Linda Copney-Okeke, director of our Accessibility Resources Center was quoted as saying. “She was a fiercely independent young woman who was so full of excitement to be starting her academic career, making friends, and looking to the future. Justine was a vibrant young woman who overcame obstacles and lived life with passion.”
Bernard also liked to have fun.She was in Atlanta on Wednesday, June 2, 2021, to do just that, but she got into it with an acquaintance inside an apartment.
While not a lot is known about the nature of the argument, Atlanta police say things took a wicked turn as an argument between Bernard and Nyasia Reeves, 20, escalated.
Police said Reeves pulled out a gun and shot Bernard, according to CBS46.
Panicked and bleeding, Bernard somehow managed to drive herself to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta-Hughes Spalding Hospital.
Medical professionals made the decision to transport her to Grady Hospital, according to media reports.
Suffering from a gunshot wound, Bernard would later die from her injuries, according to a police spokesperson.
Friends of Bernard said that she was a hardworking student who cared for people.
“Justine was a dedicated student, in my time living with her freshman year I often noticed that she’d always set time aside for schoolwork,” Alyssa Singer, an interior design junior, told the Charger Bulletin, the school’s newspaper. “She cared about her grades and worked for what she deserved. Overall, she was an extremely smart, intellectual, kind and giving person who would always extend love and support to any one of her friends.”
According to a GoFundMe account set up by a friend of the victim’s mother, Bernard had just made the dean’s list at school.
The GoFundMe reads: “My name is Jennifer McCaskill and my friend, Hazel Crichlow's 19 year old daughter Justine was senselessly murdered last week. Hazel has raised Justine on her own and she was her only child. Justine excelled at everything she did, whether it be academics, dance, or just being a good friend and daughter. Justine just finished her freshman year at the University of New Haven, where she made Dean's list. On June 2, 2021, Justine was in Atlanta and was shot and killed during an attempted robbery. Justine's passing has devastated an entire community of friends and family. Hazel now has to pick up the pieces, but needs some help with expenses associated with Justine's home going, as well as the expenses she will incur to travel to Atlanta for the murder trial. Please help Hazel with Justine's home going, as she is dealing with every parent's worst nightmare.”
Reeves was being held in the Fulton County Jail on murder and weapon charges.