NORFOLK, Va. — A call for prayer and action.
A vigil unfolded Sunday night along Vernon Drive in the Diggs Town neighborhood of Norfolk, aiming to bring an end to gun violence.
On Oct. 19, the 1700 block of Vernon Drive was a crime scene, where authorities found Terreyon Moore, 15, had been shot while walking home. He later died at the hospital.
Ten days later, there was a different scene—a scene of prayer for youth and a call to action to end gun violence.
"We have to stop allowing these mothers, these women, to suffer and hurt the way they are hurting," one speaker said during the event.
"Stop the Violence Team" and "Breaking Barriers" organized the vigil to support Erika Sanders, Terreyon Moore's mother.
"My baby ain't coming back," Sanders told reporters. "It's been the worst week of my life. I don't wish this pain on nobody, not even my worst enemy."
WATCH: Norfolk mother wants answers after her 15-year-old son was shot, killed
Sanders said her son was the laughter of the family.
She said she feels like she's still in a nightmare.
"It don't feel real. Like I feel like I'm on autopilot. I get up but it's like, here like I'm numb. I'm mad," she said.
The vigil also included a strong message to stop the gun violence. Norfolk Mayor Dr. Kenny Alexander and Police Chief Mark Talbot were also in attendance.
The mayor said there are many factors that would cause a young person to make poor decisions, some of which are generational, and some of it is childhood trauma.
"We have to ask parents when they see children becoming irritated, frustrated, misbehaving, then they have to certainly come forth and let authorities know so that we can help with that child's growth and development," Mayor Alexander said. "We've seen children, and adolescents making very bad choices and is ending up in a situation like this and the loss of life."
Mayor Alexander also spoke about witnesses coming forward and why some are hesitant.
"A lot of communities—Black and Brown and poor and marginalized communities—they don't trust the system, whatever that system is—talking with authorities about children, adolescents, who are misbehaving, who are frustrated who, who is showing signs of anger or emotional disturbance. It's hard to have those kinds of conversations," he said. "There's probably a lot of this information and misconception about when you come forth, raise your hand, and say 'I need help with my son, I need help with my daughter.' But again, some parents need help as well, because they are victims of having these childhood experiences or trauma and have not dealt with those experiences and now their children."
Chief Talbot said he'd like to see safer neighborhoods for kids.
"A vast majority of the time, you're not going to see a ton of kids out here playing because it's not always safe to do that. And parents don't feel safe to let their kids out," Talbot said. "So we need to make sure that we're out here using these spaces and doing whatever it takes to make sure the open spaces here are fit for the kids to play."
Bilal Muhammad is with Stop the Violence Team. He grew up in this neighborhood, and he also recently lost his son to gun violence.
"The guns is going into the wrong hands and the youth are looking for leadership, looking for guidance," Muhammad said.
As she grieves her son's loss, Sanders has her own message.
"I need for it to stop," she said. "I don't want another mother to feel like I feel right now, because it's the worst thing anybody could have to bury your baby."
