NEWPORT NEWS, Va — For the past few years, medical experts said they have seen an increase in gun violence deaths among kids and teens across the United States.
Newport News mom, Radia Capehart, said each act of gun violence brings up a terrible memory after her 15-year-old son was shot and killed.
Today, Capehart continues to mourn the loss of her son, Shayne, a pain no parent should have to endure. Last weekend, she said one of Shayne's best friends was shot and killed; the friend worn a pendant with her son's photo until he passed away.
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Capehart said hearing the news about her son's best friend felt like reliving the pain of losing Shayne once again.
"I look at all those kids who were friends with my son as my boys because I know how much they loved Shayne," said Capehart.
A recent study done by American Academy of Pediatrics states that gun violence was the leading cause of death in children in 2021. Since then numbers have continued to climb.
Dr. Chethan Sathya is a pediatric surgeon. He said there continues to be a rise in gun violence deaths in recent years.
"This really suggests a very dangerous inflection point in that if we continue to build on these very high rates, fire arms are not only going to be the leading cause of death among kids, but they are going to continue to be that leading cause of death among kids with no end in sight," said Dr. Sathya.
"It feels like nobody has remorse for somebody's life, once they pull the trigger, they don't think about how they just took somebody's son," says Capehart.
Radia says taking on personal responsibility to prevent something should become the norm in neighborhoods
