North Mpls Community Holds Vigil For Unsolved Deaths
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- The mothers of two murdered children came together in north Minneapolis over the weekend to bring attention to their unsolved cases.
Quantell Braxton would have turned 15-years-old Saturday. Last August, he was playing in the street with his friends when he was fatally shot in the head.
Braxton's mother, Cindy, promised her son a birthday party; and she delivered on that promise near the spot where her son was shot and killed.
"I've always promised him a birthday every year, and even though he is gone I am going to give this to him," Braxton said.
Friends of Braxton also came to the vigil to share in Braxton's grief.
"All we can think about is how can this not happen again," said an unidentified friend of Braxton.
Marsha Mayes, another mother who knows all too well the pain of losing a child to violence, also attended the birthday vigil.
In December, her 3-year-old son, Terrell Mayes Jr., suffered a gunshot wound to the head after a stray bullet broke through the wall of his house and struck him while he was on the staircase.
"I'm here to give my care, my love, my hope for her," Mayes said.
Mayes said she and Braxton want the same thing: justice for their sons, and for the violence to stop. Both mothers hope the birthday gathering will spark someone to come forward with information that leads police to the gunmen.
"Nobody knows how it feels to have half your heart gone, Mayes said. "Nobody knows how it feels to wake up in the morning and not see that 3-year-old or that 15-year-old in your presence."
Crime Stoppers is offering rewards for information leading to arrests and convictions in both cases. Also, a fund has been set up to help find Terrell Mayes' killer.
