Families impacted by gun violence gather for Wear Orange Weekend

ST. LOUIS, Mo. (First Alert 4) - One day after a 16-year-old was shot and killed inside a North City market, families impacted by gun violence gathered Sunday with a message they say the city can’t afford to ignore.

“We honor the memory of the ones we lost to gun violence and uplift the survivors,” said Sheleasa Blackwell of Moms Demand Action.

For Blackwell, ending gun violence is a personal mission.

“It’s important to me because I lost my son, Corey Blackwell, to gun violence. He was 19 years old. So it is close to my heart,” she said.

Wearing orange on Sunday as part of the national Wear Orange Weekend, participants honored victims, supported survivors, and reminded grieving families they aren’t alone.

For Skyla Pawnell of Moms Against Gun Violence, every shooting takes her back to the day her own son died at the hands of gun violence.

“Every time I hear about somebody that lost their child to this gun violence, it really breaks my heart, it melts me down to the point where I don’t know how to feel... because it feels like I lost my son all over again, and I can relate to that family,” Pawnell said.

Pawnell said too many young people are becoming victims or perpetrators of gun violence.

“We have kids as young as 13 years old running around with guns. I don’t believe they know the severity of the actions of carrying those guns,” she said.

Organizers hope that events like this encourage families, neighbors, and community leaders to get involved before another life is lost.

“Everyone needs to be a part of this. You don’t need to wait until it comes knocking at your door and it’s your loved one. Then you want justice. You need to stand now,” Pawnell said.

As St. Louis mourns the loss of another teen, these families say they’ll keep speaking out, even furthering their mission in Washington, D.C. next week by taking their stories to legislators directly.