CINCINNATI — Friends and teammates of 17-year-old Kelsie Crow have been waiting almost a year to feel the relief washing over them.
Three hundred and sixty-one days had passed since their friend, a Purcell Marian student and soccer player, was shot and killed while trying to escape gunfire at a sweet 16 party in Walnut Hills.
And finally, police announced Thursday they had made an arrest.
"I didn't really know how to react," said Hanna Peeno, a Wyoming High School student who played on Crow's club team, Kolping United. "I couldn't cry at first. Everything was just like a big weight off my shoulders."
Princeton High School senior Megan Larkin called the arrest "unreal."
"Knowing that they caught the person, it still seems like a relief," she said. "And unreal, because now she can rest in peace."
Purcell Marian Principal Veronica Murphy said not a day has gone by that Crow, so much a part of the campus community, hasn't been on their minds.
"It's a bittersweet moment because we want what is best for everyone," Murphy said. "We want what's best for Kelsie's family - and yes - to have something happen with a case, an arrest, brings a sense of relief. It begins to bring a sense of closure to the situation."
Rico Mosley (Provided)
Cincinnati police arrested 19-year-old Rico Mosley Thursday and charged him with murder and two counts of felonious assault.
RELATED: Police felt community pressure to make arrest, suspect's attorney says.
A judge set his bond at $800,000 Friday morning -- $300,000 for the murder charge and $250,000 for each assault charge.
On April 4, 2015, police responded to the YMCA on Melrose Avenue in Walnut Hills after reports of shots fired outside a birthday party in the building. When officers arrived, they discovered Crow and two other teenagers suffering gunshot wounds.
RELATED: 911 calls paint chaotic scene during shooting
MORE: As Walnut Hills rebuilds, crime plagues progress
Police dispatchers said they were inundated with calls after the shooting, with witnesses saying 50-60 people were at the scene at the time.
Friends told WCPO at the time that Crow was an innocent victim in the attack who was just trying to get away when her vehicle was hit by gunfire. Officer said she was hit by a stray bullet.
Kelsie Crow
Crow succumbed to her injuries the next day at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. The other two teenagers survived their injuries.
A reward was offered for anyone who could provide information leading to an arrest in Crow’s case.
Tuesday will mark a year since Crow passed away. Purcell Marian was already planning a prayer vigil, and students are taking part in an organ donor awareness program in her honor.
The Purcell Marian High School community remains prayerful and vigilant in its support of the Crow family during this...
Posted by Purcell Marian High School on Thursday, March 31, 2016
"It could've been my daughter,” said David Draginoff, who initially put up the reward. “If she would've asked to go to a party at the YMCA, I would've said, ‘Sure.’
"I wouldn't have thought twice about it, then to walk out the door and have your whole life changed."
Check back with WCPO for updates to this developing story.
