My phone rang at 1:30 a.m. A familiar voice, “Who shot him? Who shot him?” Then the call dropped. It was July 13, 2003, the man I was dating had been murdered and my life was forever changed.
I had only been dating Edward for about six months. He was working as a bouncer at a nightclub owned by an old family friend. A fight broke out; it moved outside. In all the chaos, someone fired one shot. It hit Edward in the chest. He died on the edge of a road, just outside the parking lot. He was 19 years old.
Edward came from a family with lots of trauma (abuse). Despite that, he was a funny guy. He was always playing pranks and joking with people. He loved music and Dragon Ball Z.
Edward’s death sparked an activist spirit in me. Along with his sisters, we protested the establishment where his death occurred. He wasn’t the first person killed there, and he wasn’t the last either.
I mourn. I mourn for his life taken and his potential unknown. I believe. I believe we can end gun violence! I fight. I fight for Edward.