HAMPTON ROADS, Va. - Gun violence continues to plague Hampton Roads. Last Friday, a 4-year-old was hit by a stray bullet in Virginia Beach.
“If you don’t think you’re going to make it to 18 years old that’s a hopeless mindset, so why wouldn’t you make hopeless decisions,” said gun violence advocate Adrian Cook.
Cook is the director of Let Our Voices Empower. He told News 3 he has a personal connection to youth violence; he spent 18 years behind bars for his actions.
“I know what it’s like to think that’s okay and to accept my fate that I could die and I’m okay with that,” said Cook.
He now leads programs that teach kids coping skills and good communication. He also helps facilitate therapy and substance abuse classes, and gets kids out in the community in a positive light.
“These programs are very paramount in helping these kids find themselves that way they’re not indoctrinated by the glamorization of the streets and gang life and prison life,” said Cook.
Here are some startling statistics:
- More than 6,000 kids under the age of 18 have been hurt or killed by gunfire across the country, according to the Gun Violence Archive.
- In Virginia between 2016 and 2021, there were almost 400 kids under the age of 15 taken to the hospital with gunshot wounds.
- Since the start of 2022, the Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters has treated at least 23 kids for firearm related injuries.
Cook said the community needs to band together to make sure those numbers don't continue to rise.
“All of us are needed in this fight," said Cook.
To learn more about Let Our Voices Empower's mission, click here.
