RICHMOND, Va. -- Five of Richmond's last shootings along with two homicides have all taken place in the city's public housing complexes this year.
The recent violence has been on the mind of Michelle Bryant, who says she is disgusted at the shootings occurring in her community.
Bryant is no stranger to the effects of gun violence. Her 21-year-old son Jayvon Coward was gunned down three years ago in 2021.
She says she feels her son's murder case is getting shuffled into a pile of unsolved murders.
"It's very frustrating," Bryant said. "We want closure, my family and I. Not to keep wondering who did it? Why did they do it? We had someone taken away from us. It didn't take us three years to feel the loss. Why do we have to wait three, 7, or 10 years for justice either?"
Jayvon, Michelle's first-born son was shot inside his East End apartment on Littlepage Street in February 2021.
He was the father to a two-year-old boy, who is now five and is starting to ask questions.
"'Where is my dad? Why did this happen to my dad? And 'did you get justice for him'"? Bryant said of her grandson's questions.
Questions Bryant says she doesn't have the answers to but is constantly reminded of as she walks to and from her Gilpin Court home.
She says the chaotic and tragic scenes like the murder that took place days ago, are common.
Bryant says she believes city hall and city leaders are failing families affected by violence by not listening to them grieve.
"It's crippling, it's painful. It's one of the most unbearable things I've had to endure," Bryant said. "I've broken bones, I've had burns, and major cuts. But nothing cuts as deep as losing a child."
Bryant says she's often surrounded by sadness as gunshots echo into the night around her apartment. All she can do is pray for peace and pray for justice for Jayvon.
This is a developing story, so anyone with more information can email newstips@wtvr.com to send a tip.
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