WARNER ROBINS, Ga. — Two Central Georgia children recently fell victim to gun violence. We share more on what happened and what's being done to help family members cope with this sudden tragedy in tonight's top story.
On March 12th, someone shot a 7-year-old boy on Log Cabin Drive, in Macon. Then, on March 25th, someone shot and killed an 8-year-old boy on Virginia Dare Drive in Warner Robins.
In two weeks, Central Georgians witnessed two shootings involving two elementary school-aged students.
"I was like, Lord Jesus, you can't take him away from me now. He hadn't been with me long enough," Regina Flowers said.
On March 12th in Macon, someone shot Flowers' son, 7-year-old Neco Crumsey.
"Even thought he is alright, it hurts just to even think about when I stepped up those stairs and I seen the smoke come from the wall and I seen the hole, and my baby didn't get up and I saw the blood," Flowers said.
According to the Nationwide Children’s website, nearly 1,300 children a year die from guns, and many more are seriously injured.
Crumsey is recovering and attending therapy in Atlanta.
Two weeks after that, on March 25th, nearly a dozen bullets hit the home of 8-year-old Jermarrion Cherry of Warner Robins. Cherry died three days later.
"The sad thing is the victims and the defendants are getting younger and younger, and it's saddening as a mom, as someone who raised their kids here in Houston County, to see the effects that violence has on our younger citizens," Felicia Richardson, supervisor of the Houston County District Attorney's Victim-Witness Assistance Program said.
Richardson says they notify victims of hearings and help connect them to post conviction rights and services.
"If there is a person that is a victim of gun violence, one of the things we can do, is give them a referral to the family counseling center," Richardson said.
"It's just sad. Anything you that you do, shooting anybody and hurting anybody, you could've took my child's life, and with the God in me, I forgive you, I forgive -- but I am hurt, and, you know, my baby says, every time he knows I am coming down to this apartment right here, he says, 'Mama, I am kind of scared when you go to the apartment, mom, because I am scared you're going to get shot,'" Flowers said.
Flowers says they are getting ready to move away from the Green Meadows Apartments where the shooting happened.
Both cases remain unsolved. If you have any information on either case, you can call Macon Regional Crimestoppers at 1-877-68CRIME.
The Houston County Victim-Witness Assistance Program helps victims of theft crime, burglary, aggravated assaults, murders, shootings, domestic violence and sexual assaults. For more information, you can call 478-218-4810.