PORTSMOUTH, Va. — On Friday evening, friends and family held a vigil for 15-year-old Shanarde Wilson, who was shot and killed in Portsmouth's Olde Town neighborhood on Sunday. Now, teenagers are asking for gun violence to end in their community.
"To be honest, this the first time I ever lost somebody who had actually got killed due to gun violence," said 15-year-old Jeremiah Graham, a friend of Shanarde's.
Jeremiah and some friends organized the vigil at the same basketball court where they say Shanarde often played. Mary Simms said she met Shanarde when he was young. She described him as an outgoing teenager with a bubbly personality.
"He just graduated from middle school. He's a baby," said Simms.
In the early hours of Sunday, January 21, the Portsmouth Police Department said officers found Shanarde shot. The department said he was taken to the hospital, where he later died from his injuries.
Simms said Shanarde was attending a party at an Airbnb the night he was killed.
"These kids be in these Airbnbs now. No parental supervision, a bad seed will always get in," said Simms.
The department said the teen was taken to the hospital, where he later died from his injuries.
"Portsmouth police department is doing a fabulous job, but as parents, we need to start taking accountability for our children," said Simms.
"We got to protect us. We got to protect the future of the city," said Jeremiah.
Simms said Shanarde will be laid to rest on Saturday, February 3.
The case is still under investigation. Police ask anyone who has information about this crime to call the Portsmouth Police Department's Criminal Investigation Division at (757) 393-8536 or to submit an anonymous tip through the Portsmouth Crime Line at 1-888-562-5887.