Friends of pregnant Wichita woman killed in shooting honor her memory
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) – Naomi Oglesby, 20, was shot and killed in south Wichita early Sunday morning. She was pregnant at the time, and doctors managed to save her baby, who is now getting round-the-clock attention in a neonatal intensive care unit.
Naomi's friends are speaking out about how they hope she is remembered. They say they are in shock, angry that this could happen to somebody so close to them. They find some comfort in imagining the life her child will have. They say she was only a few weeks from her due date.
Naomi's close friends, Tayleahna Officer and Mallory Baima, both wore binkies on chains as mementos.
"It's actually the last binky she actually touched and left in my car," Officer said. "She had a bright, bright plan ready for the both of them. She loved her, and she was going to love her to the fullest. No matter what."
Mallory Baima called Naomi the daughter she never had.
"I was the last person that talked to her, me and her would be on FaceTime all the time," Baima said. "We might not have been blood, but we just had that connection, where it was that love."
Madison Lee met Naomi in school over 10 years ago. She reflected on Naomi's sense of humor and how she would want them to cope with her loss.
"Hopefully, we can move on. I don't think it's going to be easy, but if you knew Naomi, Naomi would want us to. She wouldn't want us just sitting around here crying about her. I mean, she's probably laughing at us right now. She's just not that type of person," Lee said.
Much like Naomi, Laci Dooling is also a young mom. She found herself bonding with Naomi over their shared experiences.
"It was something that I had with nobody else, I have sisters that have had babies, I have had friends that had babies, but with Naomi it was just different, " Dooling said. "I felt safe, I never felt judged. I could talk to about all the bad things. About the shame, the guilt, and the depression, I was feeling during my pregnancy."
All called for justice to be served as quickly as possible, and they provided a GoFundMe link established by Naomi's sister.
The case is still ongoing, and one arrest was made in connection with the shooting. KSN News does not name suspects until they are charged.