SACRAMENTO, Calif. — In a high school gymnasium where they learn the game of basketball, a group of kids growing up on Seavey Circle in Upper Land Park are also learning one of life's hardest lessons: how to deal with a tragic loss.
Gun violence rattled Sacramento city and county over the weekend, with four shootings in 24 hours. Two of them were fatal.
One of them happened just off Seavey Circle, and an 18-year-old off-and-on member of the Ball Out Academy group, Daani Partridge, was killed.
"He was born and raised in Seavey Circle, a lot of our parents over here watched him grow up from elementary school to 18," said Ball Out Academy founder Kenneth Duncan.
He said the organization uses basketball to get kids from the neighborhood in the door, then they offer support to their families.
In the wake of the shooting, it's badly needed.
"Sometimes, we just feel at a loss. We know that Ball Out Academy has been able to provide some hope, so that’s why we wanted to create space for parents to kind of lean on something knowing that we’re here for them," Duncan said.
Audrea Williams, a long-time resident of the area, parent and coach at the academy said "it takes a village."
"We love it because we get to really work intimately with families. That’s where the change is going to happen. It’s going to happen with the parents. It’s going to happen in the home," Williams said.
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