NORFOLK, Va. — It's still a tough pill to swallow for one Chesapeake woman as she continues to grieve the loss of her stepson who was shot and killed in Norfolk a year ago.
Friday, marked a year since 15-year-old Daeshaun Cook was shot and killed. It happened just a day before his 16th birthday. A memorial still stands to honor his life on Green Leaf Drive. Signs read "Rest in peace." The stepmother is now turning her grief into advocacy.
"I take it day by day," said Nikia Mury, Cook's stepmother. "I pray, but it's hard and I have my days."
For Mury the pain of losing her stepson is always something she will battle with.
"I was more so hurt because my baby's life was taken not when it was supposed to," said Mury.
July 17th, 2022, is a day Mury she said will never forget after losing Cook to gun violence. Police say the person who pulled the trigger was just 13 years old.
"His friend was playing with a gun and the gun went off," said Mury.
On Saturday, his family came together to throw him a celebration, on the basketball court that was practically his second home.
In addition, Cook's mom died in a quadruple shooting in Portsmouth.
News
3 people dead, 1 person critically injured in Portsmouth shooting
Mury said she continues to struggle with losing two loved ones to gun violence in a month's time span
"Last year was the worst," said Mury. "I got hit back-to-back. It wasn't a good feeling."
Turning her pain into purpose, Mury is now involved with the Stop the Violence team. She hopes to send a clear message.
"The way my baby died, as far as people playing with guns, people need to put the guns down because it can be anybody," said Mury.
