KISSIMMEE, Fla. –
People gathered for a candlelight vigil Monday night in Kissimmee for people lost to gun violence in the area. The community is still reeling after a child was shot and killed last Thursday.
“We just lost a 4-year-old due to gun violence here in our city,” said city commissioner Angela Eady.
That child’s father was arrested for having a gun as a convicted felon. “All walks of life are here,” Eady said.
Some in the crowd have been recently impacted by gun violence. “It was a drive-by, and he’s gone, and he’s never coming back,” said Paula Pinellas King, who lost her great nephew, Eric Pinellas. “He was a young man with a great future, has kids that he left behind.”
In January, Eric Pinellas’s mother told FOX 35 her son was shot 11 times. “It’s heartbreaking,” Pinellas King said.
The group says it wants to push for gun reform.
A local police officer spoke to the group and urged people to lock up guns and stressed the need to keep guns away from people with mental health issues and away from kids. “If you see something, say something,” Eady said. “You cannot sweep gun violence under the rug, It does exist.”