NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — When George Floyd was killed by police officers, thousands poured into the streets in Hampton Roads and across the country — and even in other countries — to demand justice.
Days after 1-month-old Honesty Brehon was shot and left with devastating injuries, only a handful of people have come forward to say this very young Black life matters.
On Wednesday afternoon, Norfolk Police Chief Larry Boone asked the community to match the energy behind the push for social and racial justice, and put it behind the fight against gun violence.
Honesty’s grandmother, Arkeda Brehon, tells 10 On Your Side that her daughter, Jakireya, was holding little Honesty when someone walked by and opened fire.
“Just gotta pray. She is taking it one day at a time. Both were shot,” said Brehon.
Honesty Brehon was born July 25. On Tuesday, one month after her birth, Honesty, her mother, and three other people were shot outside the Brehon home in the 800 block of East Princess Anne Road in Norfolk.
Honesty was critically injured and is fighting for her life at Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters. Her pelvis is shattered, both femurs were hit and there’s damage to her reproductive system. The others who were shot are expected to survive.
Concerned neighbors are circulating a flier in hopes of helping police find those responsible for yet another senseless crime.
They tell 10 On Your Side that Honesty and the others were shot in a neighborhood where young people have easy access to weapons — and they don’t hesitate to use them.
William Copeland and Skip Mercer reflected on how disputes were solved years ago.
“If we had a problem with somebody, we fought it out with these [our fists]. We fought it out and were friends the next day,” said Copeland and Mercer.
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Community activist Stacey Robinson, a former drug kingpin, calls the violence “self-inflicted genocide” that the Black Lives Matter movement has failed to address.
“Nobody is being outraged about the killings of Black people by Black people, ” said Robinson who has partnered with Norfolk Police Chief Larry Boone to help curb violence in Norfolk.
Boone, who walked alongside protesters in the aftermath of George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis, turned to social media Wednesday night to voice similar concerns.
Click here to watch the full video Boone recorded on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the Brehon family is praying for Honesty and for justice.
“She’s 1 month old and fighting for her life. Please help us get justice for Honesty,” said the grandmother.
More details have emerged in the case.
The grandmother and one other source told 10 On Your Side an assault weapon was used in this crime. Police will not release information on the type of weapon used Tuesday night.
A GoFundMe has been set up by a member of the family.