A New York father is speaking out months after a stray bullet reportedly claimed the life of his 1-year-old son.
On Monday, New York police Chief Jeffrey Maddrey tweeted a minute-long video featuring Davell Gardner, whose son, Davell Jr., was fatally shot in the stomach in July as he attended a barbeque. The New York Post reported that least one suspected gang member is believed to have been involved in the deadly incident, which occurred in Brooklyn.
“I was in a dark place,” Gardner says, recalling how he felt after his son died.
1-year-old Davell Gardner Junior's shooting death devasted our city and now his father is breaking his silence with a message he wants you to hear. #WeRemember @NYPDnews pic.twitter.com/AA6TKFWlFH
— Chief Jeffrey Maddrey (@NYPDCommAffairs) September 21, 2020
Gardner says amid tears, “I lost my firstborn, my baby boy.”
According to the New York Post, the father’s public plea comes amid a spike in murders and shootings in New York City. The increase reportedly correlates with a rise in gang-related violence.
So far, nobody has been criminally charged in connection with Davell Jr.’s shooting death.
“Help make a change. This has to stop. This has to,” the father says.
“I had to bury my son. There’s a lot of parents out there [who] have to bury their kids. Help make a change.’’
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[Featured image: Davell Gardner, Davell Gardner Jr./GoFundMe]
