Slain mother of midshipman remembered at Naval Academy football game

FILE - This Jan. 9, 2014 file photo shows a sign outside of an entrance to the U.S. Naval Academy campus in Annapolis, Md. A U.S. Naval Academy midshipman has asked a federal judge in Maryland to block his expulsion over messages he posted on social media, including one in which he said Breonna Taylor received “justice” when police killed the Black woman during a drug raid on her Kentucky home. U.S. District Judge Ellen Hollander didn't immediately rule Friday, Oct. 30, 2020 after presiding over a hearing on Chase Standage’s request for an order allowing him to graduate. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)(AP/Patrick Semansky)

The slain mother of a midshipman was remembered on Saturday at the U.S. Naval Academy’s first home football game of the season.

During the tailgate, a group of Naval Academy moms honored 57-year-old Michelle Cummings who was killed by a stray bullet back in June while she sat on the patio of an Annapolis hotel.

She and her husband were in town for their son’s induction ceremony.

WTOP’s news partner NBC Washington was at the event where her husband, Leonard Cummings, spoke to the crowd through tears.

“This is a very joyful and painful situation,” Cummings said.

Annapolis Mayor Gavin Buckley also remarked on how sudden and tragic the event was for the family and the community: “The way Michelle was taken from us was a senseless tragedy. It is still so fresh and so painful.”

A trailer and a tent memorializing Cummings were unveiled, as were plans to set up a scholarship in her name.

“We had just celebrated our 25th anniversary on June 1 and we had a great time, not knowing that was the last anniversary we would have,” Cummings said. “It’s nothing she wouldn’t do for everybody or anybody.”

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