Birmingham murder victim's mom says mass shooting has opened old wounds

DOWNLOAD THE FREE WVTM 13 APP. A CENTER POINT MOTHER SAYS THE MASS SHOOTING LAST WEEKEND BROUGHT BACK HORRIFYING MEMORIES OF THE NIGHT THAT HER SON WAS MURDERED. TWO DECADES AGO. WVTM 13 LISA CRANE IS LIVE AND LOCAL IN FIVE POINTS SOUTH TONIGHT. LISA. SHE STARTED AN ORGANIZATION TO GUIDE OTHER PARENTS FACING THE SAME GRIEF. YEAH, IT’S CALLED PARENTS AGAINST VIOLENCE. HER NAME IS CAROLYN JOHNSON TURNER, AND SHE LOST HER OLDEST SON TO GUN VIOLENCE. TWO DECADES AGO. BUT SHE SAYS THE SORROW AND THE GRIEF SHE FEELS ARE STILL VERY FRESH. AND EVENTS LIKE THE MASS SHOOTING THAT HAPPENED HERE ON SATURDAY NIGHT REALLY STIR UP ALL THOSE EMOTIONS AGAIN. SO MANY OTHER KIDS HAVE LOST THEIR LIFE, LOVE, CAROLYN JOHNSON. TURNER SAYS THE NIGHT HER SON WAS MURDERED, EVERYTHING CHANGED. I WRESTLED WITH THAT STEELE. IT’S BEEN 20 GOING ON 21 YEARS AND IT STILL IS VERY HARD TO DEAL WITH THAT. RODRIGUEZ WAS 20 YEARS OLD WHEN HE WAS PULLING UP TO A PARTY. AN ALTERCATION NEARBY ESCALATED TO GUNFIRE. HE WAS SHOT IN THE HEAD AND KILLED BEFORE HE EVER GOT OUT OF HIS CAR. EVEN TWO DECADES LATER, JOHNSON TURNER SAYS EVENTS LIKE THE MASS SHOOTING BRING BACK THE EMOTIONS SHE FELT, AS IF IT JUST HAPPENED. IT JUST BROUGHT EVERYTHING BACK HOME FOR ME BECAUSE MY SON WAS MURDERED. THAT WAY, YOU KNOW, HE WAS GOING TO A BIRTHDAY PARTY TO HAVE A GOOD TIME, AND SOMEONE WAS SHOOTING AND HE WASN’T THE INTENDED TARGET AND TOOK HIS LIFE AND DEVASTATED MY LIFE TO TRY AND HEAL FROM THE LOSS. SHE WROTE A BOOK. IT’S TITLED WHEN YOUR CHILD IS MURDERED. I HAD TO FIND SOME TYPE OF OUTLET TO GET SOME OF THIS GRIEF, HURT AND DEVASTATION OUT OF MY HEART. IT WAS. IT WAS KILLING ME. TO BE HONEST, I WASN’T DOING WELL WITH IT. YOU KNOW, IT WAS CONSUMING ME. SHE SAYS THE ONLY THING THAT’S HELPED IS THAT THE BOOK SEEMS TO BE HELPING OTHERS WHO MUST SADLY FOLLOW IN HER FOOTSTEPS. SHE SAYS SHE BELIEVES THE RAW TRUTHS ABOUT HER OWN JOURNEY COULD ALSO SERVE AS A WAKE UP CALL TO YOUNG PEOPLE ABOUT THE DEVASTATING REALITY OF GUN VIOLENCE. SHE’S HOPEFUL AFTER THIS MOST RECENT MASS SHOOTING, EVERYONE WILL UNITE TO TRY TO COME UP WITH SOLUTIONS. I DON’T HAVE ALL THE ANSWERS, NO ONE HAS ALL THE ANSWERS, BUT TOGETHER WE CAN DO THIS. JOHNSON TURNER SAYS SADLY. SHE KNOWS EXACTLY HOW THE FAMILIES OF THE VICTIMS WHO WERE KILLED HERE SATURDAY NIGHT ARE FEELING RIGHT NOW, SHE SAYS AT THE VERY LEAST, SHE IS HOPEFUL THIS WILL BE A CATALYST FOR CHANGE. LI