LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX NEWS) — Sydni Taylor was this close to leaving the house for the Lexington East End Day.
"Soon as I walked out of my back door to head that way, I got a call. (They said) 'Just go ahead and stay in the house, don't even come," Taylor said after watching her kids head to school on Monday morning, less than 48 hours after Lexington was the latest city to become victim to a mass shooting.
Five people were shot and teen was killed at Charles Young Park Saturday afternoon. Lexington Police arrested 18-year-old Jametrius Griffin and charged him with the murder of 16-year-old Di'zhon Robertson.
On Monday, ONE Lexington director, Devine Carama, who witnessed the shooting from just a few feet away, dispatched his team to various Fayette County elementary schools to greet the children and make them feel safe. Carama went to William Wells Brown Elementary School.
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"We've had incidents where more people have been hurt. We've had more shootings in the night and the weekend, but just the fact that it was an East End family reunion, and we've never had an incident like that, being broad daylight, so many kids present. To me, it was the equivalent of a school shooting," Carama said.
Robertson's death was the city's first homicide in more than 6 months. It's an incredible run that came to an end in horrifying fashion last Saturday. Carama was apparently a foot away from the shooting and was shielding children until things were under control. Robertson was also a child he knew and hosted at his annual summer camp.
"I'm not doing too well, but you know, trying to continue to push forward because I've got to be here for, for the community," Carama said.
Taylor is struggling, too. Di'zhon was a cousin.
"He always had, you know, a joyful and kindred and musical spirit about himself. Always respectful to me," Taylor said.
Carama is hoping something good can eventually come from this episode, which he feels will go down as being one of the city's worst days.
"There's a lot of people who hit me up who want to get involved. A lot of people who have been in that life that really want to turn things around. And so, I think there's going to be a silver lining with this, and I think lives will be saved moving forward because of this," he explained. "We can't allow one incident to abandon a strategy that has yielded so much positive fruit."
