Vigil for teenage shotgun victim

The vigil will be held in Derby city centre on Friday

University students in Derby are organising a vigil in memory of a teenager who was shot dead in a city park last month.

Kadeem Blackwood, 15, was shot in the chest with a shotgun in Sunny Hill on 11 November. Four people have been charged in connection with his death.

The Afro-Caribbean Society at the University of Derby is helping organise the city centre vigil on Friday.

The event's aim is to raise awareness of gun crime, organisers said.

'Make a stand'

Student Ashley Dumbaira said the message from the vigil was, "Drop the Weapons, Stop the Crime".

"We will have two minutes silence for Kadeem and for all victims that have been shot or stabbed in England," he said.

"We are calling out to youths to tell them this is not a way forward - we need to come together and make this stand."

Fellow student Melody Hines said organisers hoped the message would be heard nationwide.

The vigil will take place in Osnabruck Square in Derby on 12 December from 1600 GMT until 1800 GMT.

E-mail this to a friend

Printable version