NEW ORLEANS — With nearly two dozen shootings in the city of New Orleans in less than a week, Temeka Estem, a mother who lost two of her sons during a drive-by said she's pleading for the violence to stop.
“All I want to know is why,” said Temeka Estem. “If it wasn’t for God, I don’t know where I’d be at.”
James Estem, 23, and Ishaia Adams, 3, were shot during a drive-by the night of May 11th in the Fisher neighborhood of Algiers. They were outside when Estem said she heard gunfire before running to one of her sons.
“I was on top of James. I was telling him don’t give up, breathe, breathe. As I was saying that stuff was coming out of his mouth,” said Estem.
That’s when someone told her she had been shot as well. A gunshot to the leg sent her and Ishaia to the hospital. James died at the scene, and after multiple surgeries, Isaiah died as well.
“They said, ‘we tried to put a tube in his neck,’ and then they said, ‘we couldn’t put it because he was too young. His lungs gave out.’ All I did was run out the hospital screaming and hollering,” said Estem.
With the arrest of two brothers, Rodney and Ronjae Steadman, Police Chief Shaun Ferguson made a vow to the family and a plea to end the violence back on May 15th.
“This is a tremendous blow to that family right now, and we’re doing our very best to bring them some peace of mind knowing that we’re trying to hold those individuals accountable,” said Ferguson.
While Estem praises police for quick actions, telling her story comes as the city of New Orleans deals with at least 21 shootings since last Thursday, a rash of violence Estem says needs to stop. She even forgives the men charged with killing her sons.
“I forgave the children. All I want is for them to get life without parole. I don’t want death because I don’t wish that on nobody,” said Estem.
Police are trying to track down a third man, Razaq Adekunle, 19, connected to this case. Estem says she still doesn’t know why this shooting happened and doesn’t believe her family could have been the intended target. Even with what she’s been through, she wants her message of forgiveness to heard.
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