NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — A Norfolk woman whose son was shot in 2015 is sharing a heartbreaking message after finding out the man who killed him was arrested again one year after being released.
28-year-old Louis McMiller was sentenced to just under six years for fatally shooting 21-year-old Michael Clemons Jr. in the chest. Now he’s back in custody.
Arvette Johnson says she’ll never get over the death of her only son — waking up without him is hard enough. But, when she found out her son’s killer was recently arrested for allegedly having a gun not long after being released, that was a slap in the face.
“I just wish that this was a nightmare that I could wake up from,” Johnson told 10 On Your Side.
Not a day goes by where Johnson doesn’t think about her son Michael.
“He’s all over my house,” Johnson explained as portraits lined her living room walls. Memories to dull the heartache of his tragic death. That ache, Johnson says, is now ignited by anger after McMiller who fatally shot Michael in 2015 was arrested in Virginia Beach this month for illegally possessing a firearm.
“This gun violence thing is getting outrageous,” Johnson stated.
A sentence Johnson and her husband Robert say was too short and that their son’s killer didn’t learn his lesson in jail.
“He got out of jail, picked up a gun and went on doing the same thing,” said Robert Johnson.
Johnson, in disbelief over the article detailing McMiller’s recent arrest, told 10 On Your Side she feels like her son’s death was in vain.
“When I spoke in court, I said to him I hope he made better choices when he gets out. Are you remorseful? Are you sorry? But, actions speak louder than words so it can’t be if you’re back at it again,” Johnson recalled.
That’s why she’s sharing her son’s story once again to keep his voice and his memory alive.
“Love on your children. Hold them tight. There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t tell my children I love them,” Johnson said.
Johnson urges parents to be aware of what their children are doing.
“Mothers, even if they search their kid’s stuff, go through their stuff, look, even mothers, don’t support them if they do something wrong. Even if it’s something with a gun,” Johnson concluded.
McMiller is due in court on Friday for a bond hearing.
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