ST. LOUIS – A local woman takes her fight to stop gun violence to the nation’s capital after the murder of her son and prevent other mothers from experiencing similar grief.
Sheleasa Blackwell’s son, Corey Blackwell-Gines, was gunned down on April 5, 2022. Police said Corey was sitting in a vehicle in the 5000 block of Minerva Avenue, located in the city’s Academy neighborhood, when someone opened fire on his car and fled.
Blackwell wants to make sure the case does not remain unsolved.
“I’m getting no kind of justice. But I won’t give up until the people who are responsible for his death are behind bars,” she said.
Blackwell said Corey was a loving and caring person who was always giving back to the community. To help keep his memory alive, she launched the Corey’s Way of Caring nonprofit foundation to help spark change in the community with the hope of ending senseless gun violence.
“I started because I was in deep depression and a lot of grieving and everything. This broke my family down,” she said. “So, I said, I have to do something, because I used to go to different meetings in the community about gun violence, not knowing that I would have to tell my story one day.”
Blackwell remains heartbroken and continues to turn her pain into something positive by hosting numerous events and speaking with other parents who have lost loved ones due to violence.
“We just actually got back from Washington, D.C., speaking about the gun laws. The laws, they have to be changed because it’s too easy for guns (to get into) the hands of the wrong people,” she said.
Meanwhile, homicide detectives are asking anyone with information about Corey’s murder to contact CrimeStoppers at 866-371-TIPS.
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