A funeral was held today for a Bridgeport mother who was shot to death.

Mourners gathered at Cathedral of Praise on the South End of Bridgeport — as hundreds came to pay their respects exactly one month after 23-year-old Brianna McCoy was killed. "Her life was cut short," said McCoy's mother Camille Prince. "She had her whole life ahead of her -- so many dreams and hopes."

Police say 41-year-old Derrick Francis fatally shot McCoy before fleeing to Ohio where he was later captured. Francis had a child with McCoy. McCoy's family tells News 12 that she had everything to live for and was working hard to make her dreams come true. "I don't know how she reached where she reached here to be involved with this monster -- but it is what it is," added McCoy's grandmother Beverley Prince. "She had a full life ahead of her that was just taken tragically -- so we want people to remember most importantly her smile," said Dawnett McGee.

McCoy's family says they recently discovered a to-do list she left behind that included purchasing a handgun for self-protection.