Family remembers 1-year-old killed in North Versailles as 'bright, bubbly'

Arionna Porter liked to sing the catchy children’s song “Baby Shark,” often swinging her arms to imitate a shark’s chomping jaw.

The 1-year-old girl from North Versailles had a gap between her still-new front teeth, which made her frequent smiles just a little bit goofier.

And she loved her little sister, 2-month-old Ahlani Porter, and frequently would crawl over to her for lengthy snuggles.

“That’s what I think about to keep me going, those memories,” said her mother, Ariel Coover, 26, of North Versailles. “She was just a very bright, bubbly 1-year-old with such personality.”

Coover, who grew up in North Braddock, on Wednesday afternoon sifted through cellphone photos and video clips of Arionna, smiling as she shared stories about the second-youngest of her four children.

A day earlier, Arionna was killed after a neighbor hit her with his SUV in the parking lot of their East Pittsburgh McKeesport Road apartment building.

The family was outside on Independence Day and children were playing in Eastland Apartments’ parking lot, which sits near a small playground. A driver went to pull his SUV out of the lot.

“I looked away for just a split second,” Coover said. “Then I just heard screaming.”

Arionna stood up after the SUV hit her, then was hit again.

“He just kept going,” Coover said.

Coover’s 8-year-old son, Alexander, unfortunately was watching as his little sister was hit.

“We all still love her,” Coover said she told her son after the incident. “We’ve got to remember the good things about her.”

Arionna was pronounced dead at 4:42 p.m. Tuesday, the medical examiner’s office said. The death was ruled an accident.

Arionna’s family said an examination at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh revealed the girl had fractured her skull in at least three places, suffered broken ribs and had her pelvis smashed.

The driver who struck Arionna, who police have not named, stayed at the scene after the accident, Allegheny County police said. He later apologized to the family in person, Coover said. He admitted to having trouble eating and sleeping Tuesday after the accident.

It remained unclear Wednesday if the driver will face any charges. None were filed as of Wednesday afternoon.

“The investigation is still active at this time,” county police spokesman Jim Madalinsky said.

Rita Porter, Arionna’s grandmother, said she wants to see charges filed against the driver.

“I want justice for my grandbaby,” said Porter, who lives in Turtle Creek. “I feel bad for (the driver) … but we don’t get to see our grandbaby no more. And I will not celebrate the Fourth of July ever again.”

The family is holding a vigil at the apartment building at 7 p.m. Thursday.

Porter also has started a GoFundMe page to pay for Arionna’s funeral. It had raised more than $2,500 of its $10,000 goal Wednesday evening.