NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — A Newport News mom is calling for an end to gun violence among kids after two school-aged boys died in a shooting in her own neighborhood.
Fallon Jackson had just gotten off work Tuesday night. When she got home, the mother of three found a crime scene outside her home.
"I just seen the yellow crime tape," she said. "My mother walked to the house and said that something had happened that I don't even know."
Around 9 p.m., police responded to the Meadow View Townhomes on Rochester Court. Officers found two boys—a 15-year-old and a 17-year-old—had gunshot wounds.
One of the teens died at the scene while the other was pronounced dead at the hospital, police said.
"My kids play out there, so anything could have happened," Jackson said. "My kids could have been shot."
It's just the latest shooting where children are the victims. Earlier in August, a 10-year-old died in a shooting in Franklin, Virginia.
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Just last week, a 14-year-old was injured in a shooting in Portsmouth.
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There have been more than a dozen shootings since the beginning of July where kids have been the victims.
Thomas Alston, with Deenball Sports, Inc., an organization that uses athletics to keep kids out of violence, said the latest shooting hits close to home.
"That's the age range that our program covers, five through 14 years old," he said.
Alston said there needs to be more to provide conflict resolution among kids.
"Conflict does not mean violence, conflict does not mean death, it's just a disagreement," Alston said. "If we can encourage youth to use more conflict resolution skills to resolve our differences, hopefully, that would make it a better environment for everyone."
Alston said Deenball Sports also advocates for the safe storage of firearms. On Sept. 17, they'll be teaming up with the city of Hampton in addition to the police department and sheriff's office to pass out free gun locks and gun safes.
Fallon Jackson is also no stranger to gun violence. She said she recently lost her brother in a shooting.
"When we gonna stop all this," she said. "It's sick people out there."
She wishes more people would speak up—and more people would listen—to prevent shootings in the future.
"I know someone could have said something first off and not wait until like the third, fourth, five times, and then there ends up this," Jackson said. "Or somebody did say something and nobody believed. Now you took two people."
In addition, she believes children are being raised in violent environments.
"They growing up into violence," she said.
She said she'd also like to see better lighting in her neighborhood.
As for the investigation into Tuesday's double homicide, police have not released any details about a suspect. They're asking anyone with information about what happened to call the Crime Line at 1-888-LOCK-U-UP.
