by ALISON LEVIER Section Editor
Shots rang out in New Orleans on May 12, ruining the annual Mother’s Day the city holds. Twenty people were left wounded, including two children.
Mother’s Day in New Orleans is usually a day filled with music and hype, as a parade marches through the happy city. At about 1:45 on this particular Mother’s Day, however, shots rang out, and shocked everyone nearby.
The suspects, brothers Akein Scott, 19, and Shawn Scott, 24, were arrested on accounts of second-degree murder for the incident. Akein was seen on the surveillance tape, while Shawn was arrested for reasons not yet known. Both brothers have a history of drug arrests and have suspected ties to a neighborhood gang.
Additionally, four people – Justin Alexander, 19, Brandy George, 28, Bionca Hickerson, 22, and Nekia Youngblood, 32 – were arrested as accessories for helping the Scott brothers escape arrest. They face charges of accessory to murder, as well as obstruction of justice.
“This is awful that this happened. I feel so sorry for the families of the victims, especially on as special a day as Mother’s Day. I also feel bad that I have not really heard much about this. The media barely covered it, which is actually very upsetting. So many other tragedies are in the news for weeks, whereas this barely got one day,” says sophomore Krystle Danza.
Perhaps one of the saddest parts of this incident is the lack of media coverage the case has been receiving. While incidents like the Boston Marathon bombing and the Sandy Hook shooting basically made the whole world stop, some have not even heard of the Mother’s Day shooting.
This case did not even appear to be relevant to anyone until the day after it happened, whereas both other incidents had immediate coverage on almost every news station. Maybe this is because of the location of the incident, where gangs are frequent and shootings happen on a weekly basis, but, regardless, this particular shooting seems to have more significance than the rest of the shootings that happen there. Twenty people are left wounded and the whole city is left with the memory of this tragedy.
“I really feel for the families for this one. I can’t believe someone would actually do something like this at a celebration for the women who brought us into this world. It’s utterly disrespectful and I think they deserve the greatest punishment Louisiana gives. It’s just like the Boston Marathon. Some idiot decides they want to screw up a city-wide celebration. I’m tired of hearing about this stupid stuff,” says sophomore Christa Tomasulo.
Gun violence has become a massive issue in America recently, and this definitely adds to the controversy. Congress cannot seem to agree on what to do about it without totally going against the Constitution.
Everyone has their opinions, but one thing is certain: the country is sick and tired of hearing about these awful things on what seems to be a monthly basis, and the amount of lives lost at the hand of someone with a firearm is alarmingly high. The sooner gun violence gets under control, the better.
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