GREENSBORO, N.C. — Greensboro grandfather Kendrick Gilbert says he still waits for a phone call from his son asking him to go fishing. But he knows that phone call will never come.
Gilbert's son, Kendrick Gilbert Jr., was shot and killed Sept. 2, 2019 when someone broke into their home in the 5500 block of West Market Street. The intruder also shot and killed Gilbert's nephew, Christopher Parson, and shot and injured Parson's wife and 1-month-old baby girl.
"I miss my son. I miss my nephew very much. I miss their laughter, I miss them being around," Gilbert told WFMY News 2 on Sunday.
Police still have not made any arrests in this case, but Gilbert and his family hope that someone with information will come forward to bring the killer of these two Greensboro cousins to justice.
"You've got a murderer on the loose. You've got somebody out there killing people. Ain't nobody in the community safe until they get this person off the streets. They need to be brought to justice," said Gilbert.
'To spread peace and positivity'
On Sunday, an event called the Center City Night of Inspiration aimed to provide hope to Greensboro in light of crime and violence, like what the family of Kendrick Gilbert Jr. and Christoper Parson is experiencing.
"What better way to spread peace than through music?" said event organizer Greg Drumwright. "I just hope the sounds will resonate throughout our city."
Live musical performances included The Holy Gang Tour, Greg Drumwright presents the Singers and Musicians ALIVE!, and THE UHOP CLOUDS OF HEAVEN, a 45-piece Brass Band.
Among the crowd in attendance was Ingram Bell, a Greensboro survivor of gun violence.
Bell said she was shot in the head in 2011 as bullets rained down on her car. As a result, she lost her job and had to get surgery for a brain aneurysm -- while she was pregnant.
"I ended up having brain surgery at 20 weeks (pregnant), and we saved my daughter and myself. I couldn't be put under anesthesia, so I had to do local anesthesia," Bell said.
Today, Bell still suffers from headaches, allergies, swelling, and chronic pain.
But she isn't letting that stop her from stopping the spread of further violence.
Bell is part of the "Cure Violence" team, a community program aimed at curbing gun violence in two areas of East Greensboro for one year -- Smith Homes and parts of Martin Luther King Junior Drive. Just this past week, City Council approved $500,000 for the program, which is slated to begin by January 2020.
"A decrease in violence, economic stability for our community, social justice for Black and Brown, less police brutality-- for me that's a perfect imperfect world," said Bell.
Earlier Sunday, Bell joined the Moms Demand Action Greensboro Chapter at their monthly meeting at McGirt-Horton Branch Library.
Bell and another Greensboro woman impacted by gun violence spoke to the chapter, sharing their personal experiences and how the "Cure Violence" program will help certain neighborhoods.
How bad is gun violence in Greensboro?
WFMY News 2 was provided selected crime statistics on Sunday from the Greensboro Police Department.
According to a spokesperson, the Greensboro Police Department does not track the number of shootings in the city, but it does measure the number of incidents where a gun was present.
The latest 2019 data, as of Oct. 13, shows that Greensboro had 398 aggravated assaults were a firearm was present. Compare that to the same time in 2018-- police records showed 243 aggravated assaults where a firearm was present.
For all homicides measured by Greensboro Police, so far in 2019 there have been 35 homicides. Compare this to the number of homicides at the same time over the last two years:
- 34 homicides in 2018 though Oct. 20
- 38 homicides in 2017 through Oct. 20
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