WAVE Transit holds memorial ceremony for former bus driver who was fatally shot

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — WAVE Transit honored one of their own with a memorial dedication on Wednesday.

31-year-old Jalisa Bellamy was a bus driver with WAVE before she was shot and killed early Christmas morning.

Jalisa Bellamy (photo: WPD)

Bellamy’s family attended the ceremony organized by her coworkers. They planted a Weeping Redbud tree in her honor, remembering a young woman they described as quiet, kind, and full of life.

Coworkers say the tree’s blossoms symbolize peace, wisdom, and a kind of quiet connection to the spiritual.

Jalisa’s mother, Pamela Whitfield, says they couldn’t have picked a better tree.

“It’s sacred altogether and it’s spiritual, and that’s Jalisa,” she said. “She was very spiritual. She was calming. And she was sacred.”

Whitfield says she and her family are taking things day by day, relying on God for strength, and hopefully one day they will get more answers.