11-04-2025
Mobile County District Attorney's Office holds annual crime victims vigil
MOBILE, Ala. (WKRG) — The atrium of Government Plaza was lined with photos of murder victims as part of the Mobile County District Attorney's Office's observance of National Crime Victims Week.
'I was a broken vessel,' Windeer McCall, who lost her son Antonio in 2020, said. 'I was in a dark spot, but to God be the glory.'
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For her and many other families, this was their first time attending the annual vigil.
'Don't let anybody rush your grieving process, you know, grieve, cry, heal,' McCall concluded.
'The support is what keeps me going, the support of family, friends,' Nykiela Autry said. 'This event is worth keeping me going for.'
Tarchena Pettway's daughter, Jasmine, was shot and killed in 2021.
She said events like these are important because they're a reminder that she's not alone in this journey.
'To help someone to heal, you really don't heal, but you can cope,' Pettway said. 'Speak up, speak up and say something. It will help.'
And for the families of Valentino Arso and Decisco Tillman, they still are waiting for justice to be served.
'The gun violence need to stop because it's too much going on and people are losing their kids!' Felicia Arso said. 'It's not the older ones. It's the younger ones, and it really needs to stop. It's troubling to everybody, and we just want to find closure to the parents that lost loved ones. They're not going to be at peace until they really find closure.'
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'And so it's hard on the family, but we gon' get through it,' Catherine Tillman said. 'God's been fair to us, so everything gon' work out okay. I just want justice.'
'We hope, you know, that one day we won't have to have these victims' vigils because we don't have any more victims,' Mobile County District Attorney Keith Blackwood said. 'But the reality is this is necessary, and it's a good support for the people in those situations.'
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