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Donesha Buckner came from a big family with loving siblings, parents and grandparents, a fiancée of 16 years and six children as well as other extended family.

Right now those loved ones are banding together in their shared grief at the Jan. 18 loss of Buckner while seeking answers as to what exactly happened and who is responsible.

“As a mother… everybody is saying it is going to be ok, it will get better. It doesn’t,” Sharon Shelvin, Buckner’s mother, said. “We’ve been dealing with it. I think the only thing holding me together is family. I can’t even explain it.”

Shelvin said her daughter didn’t deserve to die.

On Jan. 18 her daughter, age 33, was rushed from Normandy Apartments to The Medical Center of Southeast Texas where a doctor came out and said their attempts to save Buckner were unsuccessful and she had passed away.

Not long afterward several detectives and the doctor came in and told her situation had changed — as staff was undressing Buckner to have her ready for the coroner they found a gunshot wound.

“My child was shot,” she said. “That changed things and now it has become a homicide.”

Port Arthur Police Chief Tim Duriso said the incident was initially reported as a medical crisis as there was no evidence of anything else until they got to the hospital. That’s when they realized her death was due to foul play.

Police have several suspects and are actively investigating the case, he said.

Officers reportedly investigated the scene at the apartments and there is body cam to corroborate. Detectives also were called to the scene once they learned the victim had a gunshot wound, Duriso said.

Police have seized some video and spoke with a person of interest.

As far as tips coming into the police department, there have been some that were hearsay but those tips are being followed up on, he added.

Shelvin said the death of her daughter has been hard on all of the family; a brother came into town from Virginia, her sister is “crushed.” Her grandmother who raised her is taking it hard.

Buckner loved being around her family, Shelvin said while describing her daughter.

“She had lots of friends from school, from church, the people she worked with,” she said. “We have a big family and on her daddy’s side as well.”

Shelvin said Buckner was far from perfect and she too is far from perfect.

“We are all human and we all make mistakes,” she said. “My daughter didn’t deserve this senseless murder, this homicide.

Police are continuing the investigation and awaiting the autopsy results just as Buckner’s family is awaiting answers.

The calls are overpowering, the mother said of the many people calling with condolences.

“Some ask what happened and we can’t even answer,” she said.

People with information about this crime can call Crime Stoppers of Southeast Texas at 409-833-TIPS or by downloading the P3 Tips app on a smart phone. Tips are anonymous and could be eligible for a cash reward.

Services for Buckner are pending at Hannah Funeral Home.