Bremerton father expresses pain 'no parent should feel' after 16-year-old daughter dies from stab wounds

A heartbroken father is speaking up after the death of his daughter, 16-year-old Syanna Puryear-Tucker who died from multiple stab wounds after an altercation in Bremerton on Saturday.

The 16-year-old suspect, Lola Luna, was charged as an adult for second-degree murder in Kitsap County on Monday.

Syanna’s father, Ryan Puryear-Tucker, said his best friend was taken away from him. He said as heartbreaking as his daughter’s murder is to process, each day gets a little easier.

"I know she wouldn’t want me out here boohooing and all that. She would want me to go about my life and do my thing. But, it is hard, it’s going to be hard. My son, her brother—he’s crushed, he’s crushed," said Ryan.

The grieving father said sometimes it’s tough for him to just get some sleep.

"I just keep seeing her face in my dreams. It’s just hard to do anything really," said Puryear-Tucker. "I’ll never know if she was going to get married, I’ll never know if she wanted more children, I’ll never know. You know what I’m saying? It’s so hard. I just have so many questions I want to ask," said Ryan.

Those questions include learning more about what led up to the altercation that ultimately claimed his daughter’s life.

"It’s a pain that no parent should have to feel," said Ryan.

Bremerton Police Department said the altercation started outside Luna’s house where Syanna showed up to fight. Court documents said Luna, "decided to grab her 6 to 7-inch long folding knife and put it in her back pocket." Syanna threw the first punch hitting Luna in the head, which Luna told detectives she, "lost it" and "started stabbing." Documents said after the fight Luna went inside the house to tell her family, "I stabbed her."

"What gave you the right to think it was alright to stab my daughter five times? What gives you that right?" asked Ryan.

Syanna was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, but died from her injuries. Now gone, she is remembered by loved ones as a goofy person full of life and a loving mother to her five-month-old daughter. The teen’s father said he was shown tremendous support at a candlelight vigil on Sunday, and his phone has been overflowing with supportive messages and calls.

"So moving, I was just filled with joy. Like dang, my daughter touched that many people’s lives," said Ryan.

Their lives are forever changed by Syanna’s death; something her father said will never be easy to process.

"That’s going to be the hard part—figuring out life without her here. But, I’ve just been numb to the situation. It seems so unreal. My baby’s gone," Ryan said.

He said his son is taking the loss of his sister the hardest. They were very close and were always joking around together, something their father said he will miss dearly.

Luna is scheduled for her next court hearing on March 2 at 9 a.m.