Latest news with #GunViolenceAwareness
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Yahoo
Family gathers to remember victims, push for justice in unsolved Metroparks murders
CLEVELAND (WJW) – Six years later, the family and friends of Kate Brown and Carnell Sledge are still pushing for answers. Donning orange shirts to mark National Gun Violence Awareness Month, they gathered at the Rocky River Reservation on Saturday near the bench where the two were found shot to death in 2019. They placed signs with information on them along the Valley Parkway and set up a table to hand out yard signs, flyers and car magnets. Man arrested after fatally stabbing roommate, injuring stepfather: Akron PD All those items had information on how to stay connected with the case online to keep it alive, and a reminder that there is a $100,000 reward for anyone who contacts Crime Stoppers or Cleveland Metroparks police with information that can lead to an arrest. 'Two people, two beautiful people were shot and killed right on the bench [by the river], and we have no idea,' Kate's mom, Kim Brown, told FOX 8. It's been a long six years and it also feels like it happened just yesterday, according to Kim. Kate's older sister, Lauren Rao, and younger sister, Alex Brown, agreed. They hope that the tradition of holding this gathering around the anniversary of the murders to spread the word about their sister's case doesn't last much longer. 'It's been a long road of healing and without any justice, we believe it makes it that much harder to keep hearing these news stories. To keep wondering, it drives you mad,' Alex said. The FOX 8 I-Team recently revealed a possible break in the case when police started looking at Bryan Hurt, the suspected shooter in a murder-suicide for possible connections. Child in stable condition after nearly drowning at Cleveland city pool: I-Team Despite that, Rao said it's just another one of the highs and lows they've experiences since her younger sister was killed. 'We're hopeful and we appreciate that it's reinvigorating the case and that people are talking about it, but like the Metroparks chief stated, [Hurt is] just as much of a subject as anyone else and that they're doing their due diligence to look into him,' she said. 'We're just doing anything that we possibly can to keep their case in the spotlight. We want people to talk about it. We want people to share memories, to say their names, to not have them be forgotten.' Anyone who has information that could help detectives crack the case is asked to contact Crime Stoppers at (216) 252-7463 or Cleveland Metroparks police at (440) 331-5530. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
15 hours ago
- Yahoo
Local organization hosts annual ‘Walk 2 Reduce Recidivism'
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — People across Shelby County were wearing their orange in honor of National Gun Violence Awareness Day. The holiday may have been officially recognized on Friday, but organizations are taking the weekend to show the community they are committed to fighting crime. Rain was in the forecast on Saturday morning. While many at Shelby Farms ran to cover, one group walked for a different purpose. The Transitional Re-entry Adult Program, also known as TRAP, hosted its second annual Walk 2 Reduce Recidivism. CEO Portia Moore said rain was not going to stop them from showing the community that there are those willing to put in the work to make a change. 'As a whole, we're all trying to come together to make Memphis better,' Moore said. Memphis Pride Fest, Pride Parade canceled; postponed until 2026 TRAP is an organization that supports and provides resources to individuals navigating life after incarceration. 'So, I have a job readiness and workforce development program that we focus on,' Moore said. 'Just skilling them up so that we can adjust their mindset for more of a career path.' Two of her clients are Thaddeus Young and Nautica Moore. Young said he was recently released from federal prison after serving more than 25 years. 'I didn't know what I was going to do when I got released. I gave up. I said I was going to the streets,' Young said. 'I said I was going to just do whatever came [my] way, but when I met Ms. Portia, she changed my life around. She changed my mindset.' This event is just one of many events hosted in collaboration with the Joint Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement for National Gun Violence Awareness Day. Shelby County offers $5K retention bonus for deputy recruitment 'We want organizations who are truly committed to public safety to come together to be more than just silos, to be a joint unit,' said Tamika Williams, the Deputy Director of the Joint Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement. 'How do we as a community make sure we are identifying the right individuals that need the support and making sure we're wrapping our arms around them?' Moore said that she believes providing support to people released from prison can help reduce crime. 'If you don't have the employment opportunity, how can you do better,' Moor said. 'You're going to fall into the same category that you did once before because you know that you can get some type of funding or income from that.' Young said he's thankful for the guidance and that someone believed he deserves a second chance. 'I work now. I got a job,' Young said. 'My mind strong. I got patience.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Wear Orange event held in downtown Augusta to discuss National Gun Violence Awareness Month
AUGUSTA, Ga (WJBF) – June is National Gun Violence Awareness Month and members of the community came together Friday night to bring attention to this issue. Families, community leaders and local leaders all gathered at the Jessye Norman Amphitheater to reflect and discuss ways to prevent future tragedies. There was story telling, moments of reflection and a balloon release. Elected officials spoke at the event including Richmond County Sheriff Eugene Brantley and District One Commissioner Jordan Johnson. Johnson spoke to the crowd about his personal battle with gun violence in his family. 'I remember looking at my cousin in his casket, I remember watching my aunt scream and I can still hear her screaming. I can see my family still consoling her and even to this day on his birthday I can still see how she attempts to address the pain she still feels 16 years after his killing,' said Johnson. Hope Ciccio lost her son in 2019 and bravely shared his story at the event. She says it was wonderful to see the community come together to learn more about wear orange and gun violence awareness. 'It helped bring awareness and keep my sons story out there and I'm praying that we get justice for him. It means a lot that the community is coming together and the sheriff's department is coming together trying to resolve the issues that are going on in Augusta,' Ciccio said. Phyllis Jackson, Local Group Lead Volunteer for Moms Demand Action, explains what she hopes people learn from this event. 'I want people to understand that the grieving process is an everyday process, I lost my son in 2019 but today it seems like yesterday. I want people to understand that these children or these loved ones, their not statistics, they have names and those names have stories. I want people to recognize and understand that what you see on TV is not a game and it affects the community as a whole,' said Jackson. Moms Demand Action and Georgia Shift hosted the evening of remembrance and call to action. The Wear Orange campaign runs through Sunday. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CBS News
a day ago
- CBS News
Bronx community marches in honor of Gun Violence Awareness Day after rash of shootings
Over the last few days, there have been multiple reports of gun violence in the Bronx. Hoping to make the violence stop, many went out into the community Friday, spreading the message on Gun Violence Awareness Day. "We're doing prevention, intervention, we're doing it all" Community members gathered to march for a purpose wearing bright orange shirts and chanting from the streets from La Central YMCA to St. Mary's Park in the Bronx. The march was in honor of National Gun Violence Awareness Day and to kick off Gun Violence Awareness month. Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark hosted the march and a "Plant for Peace" to bed out flowers at St. Mary's Park. "Orange is the color for gun violence awareness. And we're planting on behalf of beautifying the park, but at the same time honoring those who lost their lives to gun violence," Clark said. "So every year now – those plants come back every year, they're perennials ... Every year we'll get to honor, you know, gun violence awareness as well as those lives that were lost." Clark expressed the march and planting for peace are just the beginning for the community to bloom in a new direction. "We have a strategy, where we're doing prevention, intervention, we're doing it all. But it's also something that communities can take ownership. They can say this is a gun violence free zone," she said. 5 shootings in the Bronx in 48 hours In the span of 48 hours, police responded to at least five shootings in the Bronx, leaving six people injured. Police say no arrests have been made in at least four of those five shootings. Police presence was evident throughout parts of the borough Friday evening. Several officers stood outside at least two locations where gun violence sent three teens to the hospital less than nine hours apart. On Thursday afternoon, surveillance video captured people running for cover as gunshots rang out on East 176th Street outside a grocery store. Police said two 17-year-olds were injured; one was shot in the neck and the other was shot in the right arm. Other recent victims of gun violence in the borough include a 17-year-old boy shot in the hip and a 15-year-old boy shot in the thigh. According to NYPD data, as of June 1, shooting victims and incidents are down in the Bronx by at least 18% compared to last year. You can email Erica with Bronx story ideas by CLICKING HERE.
CBS News
2 days ago
- CBS News
Loved ones of gun violence victims to honor them by wearing orange this weekend
People around the country, including Chicago, will be wearing orange in observance of National Gun Violence Awareness Day. It's also to honor Wear Orange weekend, which recognizes the people shot and killed every day in the country. The movement is in remembrance of Chicago teen Hadiya Pendleton, who was shot and killed on a playground while with her friends. Her loved ones continue to honor her by wearing the color. Hadiya's mother, Cleo Pendleton, said that despite some changes, there is still work to be done. "There've been a lot of attempts to make changes and a lot of things implemented. However, I think there are still areas where it can be done," she said. "It's easy to want to take the win in those situations, but there's someone that's still taking a loss." On Monday, which would have been Pendleton's 28th birthday, Senators Dick Durbin, Tammy Duckworth, and Robin Kelly introduced a resolution designating June 6 as Wear Orange Day. Orange was also Hadiay's favorite color.
