Data compiled by the FBI show the number of violent crimes in America is increasing. At an annual event in the capital city, dozens of family members of homicide victims in Mississippi gathered to remember their loved ones. MPB’s Ashley Norwood reports.
Lucinda Wade-Robinson walks around other grieving mothers and steps toward a 15-foot Christmas tree to hang an ornament pictured with her only son Zach. She says he was 22-years-old when he was shot and killed outside their home in Jackson.
"They didn't have to murder him the way that they did and then to do it in front of his home with his parents and sister inside. I don't even have the words to describe how that feels. And then to see your child fall to the ground face forward. That's something I will never get over," said Wade-Robinson.
The 15th annual tree lighting ceremony is hosted by the Office of the Attorney General's Bureau of Victim Assistance. Attorney General Jim Hood says the division raised 2.4 million dollars toward a victims compensation fund last year through federal grant money and fines collected from convicted criminals. He says the funds can help families pay for things such as property damage or funeral costs.
"We had to double our efforts, sending letters to judges and encouraging the DA, to make sure that that's a recommendation on every case. By efforts of encouraging it, it has helped us collect more but to also let victims know more that (the fund) is actually here," said Hood.
The city of Jackson is ranked the most dangerous in the state, according to data collected by the FBI. The Jackson Police Department says there have been at least 75 murders this year. Ashley Norwood, MPB News.
