TAMPA, Fla. — Just days after people ran for their lives, advocates for gun violence reform took to the same streets, calling for change.
Safe and Sound Hillsborough, Moms Demand Action, and Rise Up for Peace joined forces to hold a vigil in honor of the many lives forever changed by the deadly Halloween weekend shooting in Ybor City.
Among the people marching is Brucie Boonstoppel. She's used to how these rallies and marches go. But this time, it was a completely different experience.
"I have been on marches for gun control and things, and I've been telling everybody here, I thought I had this safety bubble because I've done everything right. I've done everything right," she said through tears.
Every march Boonstoppel joins from now on, she'll be there as one of the countless grieving parents.
Her son Harrison was one of the two victims killed in the shooting early Sunday morning. Fifteen others were shot but survived. Police say another person was injured but not by gunfire.
Boonstoppel said despite teaching her three children all she could, gun violence still found one of her kids.
"They have been having the lectures since 10 years ago about 'Look around at your surroundings. Be ready to run.' Which is a sick thing to even have to tell kids. But I just want them to be prepared and aware of the time," she said.
She said she learned before the vigil Wednesday from the Medical Examiner that her son had been shot three times: once in the spleen, once in the lungs, and once in the heart. When paramedics arrived, he didn't have a heartbeat.
Although they were able to get one going on the ride to the hospital, it was still too late to save Harrison.
"The pain that brings, as you can imagine, and more anger," she said. "I just beg everyone. It is not a time to just say this is terrible. We have to do something about it. This is time for us to really push, push, push."
Part of the push involves politicians. The attendance list at the vigil included Hillsborough County Commissioner Gwen Myers, State Attorney Suzy Lopez, Public Defender Julianne Holt, Tampa City Council member Luis Viera, reps with City Council member Gwen Henderson, and Representative Dianne Hart.
The representative told the crowd she had loved ones out that night as well.
"When I woke up, my son and daughter were starting to call me. My son was right there 10 minutes before the shooting took place," she said.
While her son didn't see the shooting, the representative who reps the Ybor City area said her grandson did.
“He had to run for his life,” she said, describing his skinned knees—signs of his attempts to escape the flying bullets.
Grieving families and their supporters took their message to the streets. Wednesday evening, they walked down Seventh Avenue—a display of visibility. Workers and shoppers nearby say they felt drawn to fall into lockstep with the marchers.
Johnny Johnson led a group of about 60 down the streets. He's the vice president of Rise Up for Peace.
"This is heartbreaking, is hurt when a wound has been reopened, because I'm a parent, and I know what it feels like to lose a child. So these two families are forever destroyed," he said.
His son, 17-year-old Jayquon Johnson, was killed in a shooting on New Year’s Day in 2017.
"I advocate with every footstep I make and thinking about myself because I can never have him back. What I can keep, that hurt and pain that drive inside of me with my voice, advocating. Because that's therapeutic for me and my family," he said.
Johnson said the support from other groups gives him comfort.
"It takes all of us. I'm just one part of the puzzle. So when we unify with the other organizations that's pushing this needle for us to interrupt gun violence and, and bring peace to our streets and our communities," he said.
After the march, the group returned to Centennial Park in Ybor.
As candles burned in their hands, an all too familiar plea resonated through the crowd. A plea to put a stop to gun violence. A plea to ensure parents like Johnson and Boonstoppel don't have to continue to meet new grieving parents.
"When people in places that's going to retire; this is a job to them. This is a life sentence for me. So I get up every day. I don't get to clock in. I don't get to hit retirement. But every day I wake up, I have a job to do. So you know, it's a different, you know, I'm very passionate. I wear it on my sleeve with no apologies. Because people are losing their kids, that's why we're here," he said.
A sentiment Boonstoppel echoed.
"It's not even the wrong place at the wrong time. It is the reality of this world. And I cannot sit still and let it continue," she said.
There is a push for change within City Council.
Councilwoman Gwen Henderson is asking for a discussion surrounding a temporary alcohol curfew in Ybor on Thursday. Her proposal would shut bars down by 1 a.m. for at least six months while the city and TPD look into long-term solutions to combat crime in the area.
Police arrested 22-year-old Tyrell Phillips. Court documents say he approached police and admitted to shooting 14-year-old Elijah Wilson because he feared for his life.
Meantime, police continue to search for at least two other shooters in the case. They have launched fbi.gov/tampashooting to make it easier to share tips, videos, and any other useful information.
