By Sue Keefer, AVRC Board Chairman
Tuesday, May 26, 2026
A beautiful photo of a man and his seven smiling children was posted on Facebook this past Easter, with the man’s arms surrounding the kids. Commenting on the post, the man said: “Happy Easter had a wonderful time at church for the first time with all my kids what a blessed day.”
Two weeks later, that same man went to two houses, shot and killed all seven children and a cousin. The children’s two mothers were seriously wounded.
In tears, Troy Brown, the father of the eighth child, Mar’Kaydon, 10, told CNN, “I’m never gonna get to throw the football with him again.”
Brown told CNN that he helped raise Mar’Kaydon’s cousins. “I’ve lost eight parts of me,” he said, “because I loved each and every one of them like they were my own and I took care of them like they were my own. Sisters Jayla, 3; Shayla, 5; Kayla, 6; and Layla, 7, filled the room with singing and dancing. “They loved to move around and have fun,” he said.
Teachers remembered Sariahh, 11, as someone who was always ready to help others. “She was a hard worker. Someone that had a big smile and a great heart,” Caddo parish Superintendent Keith Burton told CNN.
Six-year-old Khedarrion was excited to go to summer camp with his siblings Sariahh and Braylon. Their great aunt said the children loved visiting the farm.
Five-year-old Braylon “had a happy smile,” his preschool teacher Angela Hall told CNN. She also related that while none of the kids knew how to read yet—some of them held their books upside down—but Braylon would sit with his book upright and carefully put it away when he was done.
All eight children have been buried near each other as of their funeral on May 9th, 2026.
Although this article describes a situation that happened in Shreveport, LA, it could just as well happen here.
“The nexus between gun violence and domestic violence is one of the most well-established and horrific realities of America’s gun violence crisis,” Sam Levy, director of policy advocacy at Everytown for gun safety, told CNN in a separate article.
The CNN report states that decades of research and data show a woman is five times more likely to be killed in a domestic violence situation if a gun is involved, with similar risks extending to children. The article cites statistics from several sources that firearms are the leading cause of death among children and teens in this country.
In addressing the Shreveport killings, Levy said: “This is the human toll, of lives lost and a whole community traumatized by failures to put even the most basic safeguards in place to ensure guns don’t end up in or stay in the hands of people who pose a threat to themselves or others, including their children and families.” Colorado has stricter laws than Louisiana, that are supposed to protect victims from gun violence, but not all jurisdictions enforce them, including the “red flag” law that would enable loved ones or police to seek a court order to temporarily bar a person’s access to guns.
415 Colorado Avenue, La Junta, CO 81050
(719) 384-7764
TTY: (719) 384-1938
After Hours Colorado Relay dial 711 or 1-800-659-2656
AVRC is non-discriminatory agency regarding age, race, religion, color, gender, country of national origin, sexual orientation, mental health status, substance use or economic condition.