DAVENPORT- Family members who have lost loved ones to gun violence are coming together this weekend, including one mom whose 17-year old son was shot to death during a robbery last month.
"He was shot multiple times," said Krissi Taylor, about her son, Akeim Hill of Davenport.
"He loved basketball. He dreamed of going to Michigan State. That was his all-time dream", she said.
But those dreams were dashed when he and his girlfriend were robbed at gunpoint just before Mother's Day on a neighborhood basketball court.
Taylor is one of 19 different families who have lost a loved one to gun violence in the Quad Cities planning to attend Sunday's walk-run in Vander Veer Park.
"We wanted to come together and hold this event, hoping to bring families together who have experienced the same pain, and stand against gun violence, " said Lisa Nimmers, whose son Dwight McCall Jr. was shot to death in 2012.
Ebonie Wilmington organized the event, now in its second year. McCall was her brother.
"I've also invited police from all area departments, because I really feel unity is everything. I feel like my brother's purpose was to show life is precious and we gotta stop the violence," she said.
Cheryl Dittmer's daughter Michelle Jensen was shot to death nearly 24 years ago. She plans on attending the event, too.
"Basically we're trying to save some lives. If one person puts down a gun or turns somebody in, we made a difference," she said.
The run-walk will kick off with a prayer. It will be held at 11 a.m Sunday at Vander Veer Park in Davenport. There's no fee required.