On Monday, families united by heartache stood together holding up pictures of their loved ones who were killed.
“This is my niece Jessica Short and I'm here to say no matter how long, she was stabbed 30 times, when she was only 9 years old in 1989, it doesn’t go away,” said Andrew Reynolds, of Wallingford.
Reynolds advocated for a month-long observance to support families who have suffered the heartache of having a life taken too soon and to educate the community.
“I think all of us together can bring awareness and attention to what families are going through,” Reynolds said.
Get Connecticut local news, weather forecasts and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC Connecticut newsletters.
In May, Governor Ned Lamont signed a bill into law recognizing Nov. 20 through Dec. 20 as Survivors of Homicide Victims Awareness Month.
“We wanted to honor the families who remain behind and suffer the loss and we also want to reflect on what the legislature can do to reduce the homicide rate,” Rep. Mary Mushinsky (D-Wallingford) said.
Laquvia Jones was one of several grieving moms in the crowd. She lost both of her sons to gun violence in New Haven in the span of three years.
Local
“Da’Shown was my youngest son, who always acted like my oldest son he was 18 when he was murdered,” Jones said. “Dontae was my oldest son, he was 23, he was the first homicide of this year.”
The awareness month coincides with the holiday season, which can be one of the most difficult times for families impacted by homicides.
“Christmas can’t say what you want anymore, you got to decorate a gravesite and that’s your gift to them. That hurts,” Jones said.
There have been no arrests in connection to the deaths of Jones’ two boys.
“If you know what happened to somebody’s child, or you know about any homicide, it doesn't have to be my kids' homicide, call in and say something,” Jones said.
