Mother's Day is a difficult day for many, especially those who have lost a child.
On Sunday afternoon, the family and friends of 22-year-old Jamarion Loston, who was shot to death earlier this week, gathered to bring attention to the gun violence that is taking so many lives.
"My baby was just 22 years old, and he was murdered," Krista Loston, his mother said.
Jamarion Loston was shot multiple times Wednesday night near 45th and Paulina in Back of the Yards, according to police. No one was in custody as of Sunday.
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"This young man was a hell of a ballplayer," said Ernest Radcliffe, the baseball coach at Morgan Park High School. "That’s why I try to coach so hard to try and save all of young men."
Radcliffe, Loston's baseball coach, as well as family and friends of Lofton, decided to speak publicly on Mother's Day to bring more awareness and attention to crime and gun violence that continues to plague Chicago.
Members of the University of Chicago Medical Center also spoke about the trauma they see on a daily basis, calling on local and state leadership to do more to combat gun violence.
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"So we have to get to the point where everyone feels like enough is enough," said Dr. Abdullah Pratt, an emergency room physician.
Lauren Jackson, an emergency room counselor, said the city of Chicago "needs to step it up."
"I ask them, when did it start? When my friend got shot 6 months ago," Jackson said. "When my father got shot two months after that. that’s the story."
Loston's story is similar to many, leaving holes in the hearts of everyone he leaves behind.
"Please you all, there is so much killing going on, we do not have to take these people’s lives," stated Inez Loston, his grandmother.
