HOUSTON COUNTY, Ga. — Brittany Wynn was born and raised in Houston County. She felt safe up until she went off to Gordon State College and started seeing more violence through her siblings, who still go to school in Houston County.
"When this particular incident happened, it really just kind of put more fire under me to get it going and get it started quickly after seeing how it affected my sister," says Wynn.
She's talking about a homicide in Perry back in July where a 16-year-old boy was shot by two girls and later died in the hospital.
Police say the shooting may have been self-defense, but Wynn says the boy was a classmate of her sister's.
"To see so many teenagers grieve over another teenager, it really just struck a nerve with me," she says.
Through her non-profit organization Black Girl Empowerment, Wynn is organizing a rally called "Put the Guns Down."
She wants to talk about gun safety and hear from people in Houston County who've been affected by gun violence themselves.
"Get active, get involved in your community. You never want to wait until it's your child, your son or your neighbor, you want to be able to get involved and get the information that you need so you can know how to prevent gun violence," says Wynn.
Wynn is getting her Master's in human services from Walden University and is currently substitute teaching in Houston County, but she says she came back here for a reason.
"If you're gonna do something to help somebody or do something positive, you should start it in your home where you're from," she says.
The event starts at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, and some guest speakers include detectives from the Warner Robins Police Department.
Captain Heath Dykes with the Perry Police Department says the case from July has now been turned over to the district attorney's office. So far, nobody has been charged.
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