SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The bodies of the two brothers killed in the Arden Fair Mall shooting on Black Friday were flown out of Sacramento and back to their hometown of Monroe, LA., Tuesday night.
The family said they wanted the community to see the images of 17-year-old Sa'Quan Reed and 19-year-old Dewayne James Jr. being transported to their final resting place as a way of underscoring the sad reality that far many too youth are facing in Sacramento and beyond.
"So, the boys will be loaded into the car. They will be transported out to the airport, and then they will be loaded onto the airplane," family spokesperson Jamilia Land told ABC10.
A small caravan of family and friends was there for the process. This comes as community leaders say they are increasing their outreach efforts at the mall to hopefully prevent more gun violence this holiday season.
"In fact, at the time of the shooting, there was an incident upstairs that we were addressing. So, we are there at the mall. We are there practically every day," said Mervin Brookins with Brother to Brother.
Brookins, who spent time in jail and had more than a few run-ins with police, is now taking photos with the police chief instead of having his mug shot taken. He and Chief Daniel Hahn would often host community youth sports leagues where police served as coaches – handing out awards at the end of the season.
Brookins notes the city saw zero youth homicides for the past two years. This year there have been at least 4 youth homicides.
"And those two years without youth homicides were the fruits of those efforts. Then this COVID hits and we are pretty much handcuffed or limited in what we can do working with the youth," Brookins said.
Not long after the mall shooting the 18-year-old suspect allegedly shared a post that started making the rounds on social media: “yea..thought I was playing. lost they life today...watch who you dissing next time...”
"Sometimes Chris…with today's youth…that's a badge of honor. Going to juvenile hall coming home is a badge of honor to these youth. It's like what used to be up is now down," Brookins said.
That is why Brookins feels his work is more important now than ever. He shares his experiences with youth at the mall or anywhere they'll listen.
"We share with them the truth about the reality behind the wall. That ain't no place that you want to be," he said.
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