NEW ORLEANS — An LB Landry teen has been remembered after he was shot and killed in the Lower Garden District recently.
Gia Johnson is grieving the loss of her 18-year-old son Kenneth Johnson.
Ms. Johnson told WWLTV, "I am numb to the fact, I still can't believe he is gone."
She went on to describe her son, saying, "He was a person who makes you smile, even if you were mad at him, he's going to come and make you not mad at him no more."
The LB Landry student had just welcomed his daughter, now two-month-old Keh'lania Johnson.
Ms. Johnson said, "He loved his baby girl, he was happy when he found out when he was having a little girl."
She says she's trying to be strong for Kenneth's three other siblings.
"God is going to pull us through this, we just have to take it day by day."
According to NOPD the shooting happened on Oct. 4, right before 9 p.m. at the intersection of St Andrew and St Thomas Streets.
According to the Metropolitan Crime Commission there've been 180 homicides this year.
LB Landry Principal, Jeremy Geary said the city is losing too many students to gun violence.
"It's very hard because you're explaining to kids about other kids that walked the same hallways as them."
"We are in this field to make sure kids are prepared to go to college and beyond, but in a city wide area we have to work on the crime that is going on, it impacts our students."
At LB Landry, Geary said students are being taught how to deal with their emotions.
"We have programs, which is SEL, which is social emotional learning. We're teaching kids how to deal with different things. Everything is not fighting. Everything is not violence, but to speak your way and articulate your thoughts, without having to be violent."
Blue, white and silver balloons flying across the evening sky, remembering another young teen lost to gun violence.
Gia Johnson's lasting message for city leaders, "It's time that everyone come together and try to put a stop to this, cause we losing too many of our young children."
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