Bryan community shows support and plans vigil for child killed by lightning

BRYAN, Texas (KBTX) – The Bryan-College Station community is showing its support for the family of a 7-year-old girl who was struck and killed by lightning during a storm Thursday night.

People with knowledge of the incident say Quinece Turner was fatally injured outside a home between Bryan and Wickson Valley around 5 p.m. as a small but severe storm with heavy rain, wind and lightning swept through Brazos County.

According to the Bryan Fire Department and Brazos County VFD Second District Fire Department, they were dispatched to the area, but by the time they arrived, the child had already been transported to St. Joseph Hospital in Bryan via private vehicle.

A GoFundMe page the family set up to help pay for funeral expenses says Quinece was with her father when it happened. As of Friday evening, the page had raised more than $12,000 from over 230 donors.

“Please help this family in this time of need. We are very grateful for any donations. None of us want our child to go before us,” said GoFundMe organizer Sandra Hatten.

Quinece attended Kemp-Carver Elementary School in Bryan and the school district has scheduled a vigil in the gymnasium for next Tuesday, July 2, at 6 p.m.

The funeral arrangements have not yet been determined or made public.

A spokesman for the Brazos County Sheriff’s Office said more information may be released in a press release at a later date.

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