‘It destroys innocent people.’ In new video, mom of slain Macon girl warns of gun perils
There is a scene in a new educational video about the perils of illegal gun possession where the mother of a slain Macon girl urges a boy to stay on the right path and not fall prey to the culture of violence.
The mother, Tonora Jones, also tells of the death 14-year-old Ta’shuntis “Tootie” Roberts, who was struck by five bullets while inside their house in 2015 as young gunmen outside unleashed a fusillade of two dozen rounds.
In the video scene, set in a church sanctuary, Jones tells the boy, whose friends have enlisted him to tote a gun to look tough and earn respect, that “small crimes lead to bigger crimes. And bigger crimes lead to guns.”
The 13-minute video, “Armed with Knowledge,” looks to inform young people about the consequences of gun crime, especially in the federal system, where convictions involving firearms can dramatically lengthen sentences.
The video is part of a project organized by the Peyton Anderson Foundation, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Georgia along with area legal and law enforcement entities. It was the brainchild of federal judge Marc T. Treadwell.
The video will be shown to area middle and high school students, among others.
“If we’re successful, we’ll never see these kids or young people — if they get the message,” Treadwell said.
Jones, whose daughter was slain in the crossfire of what was believed to have been a gang feud, said she wanted to use her role in the video to show local youths the hurt that gun violence can cause.
“It destroys innocent people,” Jones said. “You can change your life. You can make the right decision.”