MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Gun violence is an issue that has plagued the Memphis community, especially among youth.
Since the start of the year, dozens of youth have fallen victim to gun violence.
Some have lost their lives.
Two victims are 3-year-old Bryson Jackson and 15-year-old Rodriques ‘Lil Rocky’ Minor.
All three kids’ lights have been dimmed by gun violence.
"These babies should not have to lose their lives at such a young age," said Kenny Lee, Ride of Tears Vice President. "I have never seen so many kids getting killed in this city the way they have lately. It’s just a shame."
Ride of Tears honors the lives of children who have been gunned down.
"We actually hold hand-in-hand with these family members," said Lee. "We go to the homegoing celebrations. We go to the burials. We go to the candlelight and then we do an honorary ride for these kids. It saddens me because these kids, when they lose their lives at such an early age, they don’t get an opportunity to go to their prom. They’re robbed from graduations and learning how to drive a car for the first time.
To date, Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital has treated 43 children with gunshot wounds.
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That is tied with the numbers we saw last year by the end of April.
Of those 43, three children died.
“Not just the parents, but you also have cousins, nieces, and nephews who are affected when they lose a relative due to gun violence,” said Lee.
In West Memphis, Arkansas, an 8-year-old was shot and killed after activities involving “splatterball” guns turned violent.
A Maddux Elementary Library representative posted to Facebook, “Today was without a doubt the hardest day of my teaching career. I watched my principal give devastating news to a group of 3rd grade students, 8 year old babies. They cried, they wept, they wrote notes and drew pictures to express the pain they were going through.”
It is a pain no medicine can numb or heal, but one that leaves the question, “What can be done?”