Take Back the Site vigil held in honor of teenager killed in drive-by shooting
The Erie community gathered at the site of a murder Tuesday evening to remember the life of a young man lost to gun violence.
Erie has already had two homicides so far in 2025, and on Tuesday a group of people came together to denounce that violence and advocate for change.
Third suspect arrested in connection to 2024 murder of 17-year-old
Armoni Cantu was only 17 years old when he was killed in December in a drive-by shooting near the intersection of West 31st and Liberty Streets.
On Tuesday, local religious organizations invited friends and family of Cantu to the site of the homicide for a prayer vigil to remember his life.
'It's hard, you know what I'm saying, without him calling my phone, texting me, seeing how I'm doing. We had a little fallout, but we came back together as friends do, but it's hard not being able to play the game with him no more, talk about football, and laugh and joke around,' said Erik Buckner, a friend of Cantu.
Buckner said he considered Cantu to be like a brother, and it's been tough moving forward without him.
Other friends of Cantu's also came to the vigil where the group prayed, sang and reclaimed the site where violence occurred.
The sidewalk was packed with friends and family taking back the site of the murder, but the purpose of Tuesday's vigil was to put a stop to violence in the City of Erie.
'Arguments, it doesn't have to require guns, and it's really important that as a community, we work together with the police, the schools, neighbors, parents… Everybody's got to work together because otherwise, it's not going to change,' said Deb Seng, social justice coordinator for the Sisters of St. Joseph.
Seng said the Take Back the Site vigils are a way to raise awareness that violence is happening all around us, and can happen anywhere.
'It's tragic' – Two teens face homicide charges after Tuesday shooting kills one teen, injures another
And when you see that violence happen to someone close to you, Cantu's friend said all you can do is push through.
'Don't take life for granted. It can be taken away from you at any moment. Just keep God first and focus on yourself. Don't worry about anyone else,' said Buckner.
There will be another Take Back the Site vigil this month to remember a homicide victim killed on New Year's Day.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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