Gun Violence Awareness Day has been around for years. But with six teens killed in a mere matter of days, it's hitting close to home.
A group of interfaith leaders lead by St. Luke's Episcopal Church will be holding a rally at Liberty Plaza to bring attention to an issue costing metro Atlanta countless young lives. Part of the rally will focus on praying for each person who has died in Georgia due to gun violence.
"The list can be daunting," says The Rev. Elizabeth Shows Caffey said in a statement. "We do this to honor the dead, but also to remember the families they left behind. We hope to have leaders of all faiths, all denominations, and all regions of Georgia participate in giving voice to these names."
On Thursday, 18-year-old Trevon Richardson became the latest name added to this tragic list after his shooting death on Memorial Day in DeKalb County.
On Wednesday, 18-year-old Joshua Torrance was shot in the back in Atlanta. And, one day before that, three teens fell to bullets in South Fulton. Of them, 16-year-old Grant Antonio Payton and 19-year-old Tyree Johnson died.
On May 23, 18-year-old Ezekiel Smith was shot and killed during a dispute over a football in Gwinnett County. And Jequan Strozier, who was the first in this newly reported bout of deadly violence, was killed on May 20 in southwest Atlanta.
The community is now hoping to raise awareness, address the problem and do everything to make sure that not another name joins the others.
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Gun Violence Awareness Day is a component of the Brady Campaign To Prevent Gun Violence. The campaign was named after Jim Brady, the former assistant to President Ronald Reagan was shot during an assassination attempt by John Hinckley. It left Brady partially paralyzed for life.