NEW IBERIA, La. — Two mothers are mourning the loss of their two teenage boys after a shooting last night. Now, local leaders are working towards figuring out a solution to gun violence.
Police says the two young men were arguing on the 700 block of Rosalie Street in New Iberia before they shot and killed each other instantly.
They were pronounced dead at the scene.
One of the boy's aunts says enough is enough and that her family is really just looking for peace.
“I hope this don’t go on again. I hope this is a stop… which I know it won’t happen, but we got to keep pressing on for that," said Shantera Harrison. "I want to tell the other family that I’m sorry for whatever happened between them and my nephew and all we want is peace. And love goes out to them also, because they are grieving just like we are.”
Local leaders, like City Councilwoman Deedy Johnson-Reid, says that one of the problems in New Iberia is the lack of programs for its youth.
“There’s not enough for the kids of New Iberia to do," said Johnson-Reid. "We’ve got to figure out the way to put some programs out here, so our kids have something else to do… another way to kind of handle their anger, teach them some discipline, so we don’t have this gun violence that’s happening way too often in the city.”
She also says she believes that parents should receive more training on how to keep children and teens out of trouble.
The shooting took place on the eve of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s 92nd birthday. An activist present at the scene says they're steering away from Dr. King's dream.
"We need to relay that foundation," said Donovan Davis. "We need to relay the foundation of community values and family values."
The family of one of the victims says that things weren't like this "back in the day."
"You ain’t gotta pull out a gun to solve it… if you lose a fight, you lost. Back in the day, you fight and go home," said Harrison. "You might be talking the next 15-20 minutes. It’s just totally different today. They’d rather pull out a gun to show that you won."
This investigation is still ongoing.
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