63-year-old grandmother killed in crossfire on her birthday, family says – NJ.com

Debra Derrick, 63, was fatally shot last week near her Newark home as she was releasing balloons for her deceased twin sister on their birthdays, a family member said.

“Happy birthday to me and my sister Diane,” she wrote on Facebook last Thursday, hours before she was killed, above a photo of the two as children. “I miss you so much love.”

Authorities would later find her wounded around 8 p.m. on the 200 block of Lehigh Avenue, said the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office. She died a short time later at University Hospital.

“Her twin passed like seven years ago from an asthma attack on Mother’s Day,” said her sister, Ramona Derrick. “We would have cake, dinner, laugh, dance, but this one was special because she turned 63 and they was going to let go some balloons for her.”

Derrick worked at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center as a certified nursing assistant for about seven years, said Ramona Derrick, and she had been on disability at the time of her killing. She had three adult children and cared for her 79-year-old mom, who lived with her.

Her sister said she wasn’t the intended target and was caught in the crossfire. Her children and grandchildren were releasing balloons with Debra Derrick when gunfire rang out and she tried to get them to safety, the sister said.

“She was caught in the crossfire,” said her sister, who wasn’t at the birthday celebration. “She was making sure that everybody was safe. She was pushing the two granddaughters in the door.”

The prosecutor’s office on Tuesday said no other people were injured in the shooting and the investigation was still ongoing.

Her sister said Debra Derrick was “a very kind person” who had an “unbreakable” bond with her children. She was born and raised in Newark.

Debra and Ramona Derrick were close and spoke on the phone nearly everyday. The last conversation they had was about how to care for their mother, who is now being helped by the rest of the family, the sister said.

The family would spend most holidays at Debra Derrick’s home. Her sister’s fondest memories were of Debra Derrick attending large cookouts with family and friends in the summertime.

“She was a very pleasant person,” Ramona Derrick said. “She always welcomed people to a meal. Always had an open heart.”

Anyone with information in Debra Derrick’s killing should call investigators at 877-847-7432.

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Rebecca Panico may be reached at rpanico@njadvancemedia.com.