NEWPORT NEWS, Va.—According to a recent study, U.S. gun death rates have hit their highest mark in nearly three decades.
Christina Barnes lost her son to gun violence. She told News 3 she never thought she'd become part of the statistic.
"Sometimes you just think about it more than other times," she said, "but I just try and take it day by day."
April 10, 2021, was one of the toughest days of Barnes' life. Barnes' son, Davante Daniels was shot and killed a day before his mother's birthday.
"When my son died, a piece of me went, too," she said.
Police said Daniels who was just 28 years old was found dead inside of a car on Moyer Road in Newport News. He had multiple gunshot wounds.
"I think what doesn't seem real is to know that you have a child, and you would never see that child again," said Barnes.
Loved ones remember Daniels as a fun, caring man and a loving father to his now 6-year-old daughter.
"She always asks, 'hey grandma when will my dad get up out of the box,' or she will say little things like 'I want to be with my daddy'," said Barnes.
In 2021, there were more than 47,000 deaths involving a firearm, according to CDC data. That's the most in 40 years.
In Hampton Roads, the community has seen a great deal of gun violence. The most recent act was at Walmart in Chesapeake which left six people dead. Another mass shooting in Norfolk on Fenner street left three death and two hurt. Then there was the devastating UVA shooting which left three football players dead and 2 students injured.
"Not only does it affect the person you're killing but it affects the family as a dynamic," said Barnes.
Although the pain is still fresh, Barnes is on a journey toward healing.
"I just want to start something in the community, to be support for other moms who need help," she said. "I want to help them find the resources and navigate through it," said Barnes.
Barnes told News 3 the trial for the man accused in her son's murder was back in March. A judge ruled there was not enough evidence to convict him because witnesses never came forward in court to testify.
