An Aurora mom whose son was shot to death last winter is channeling her grief into a project she hopes will remind the community of the unsolved gun violence killings in the Aurora area.
More than six months after Nick Rodriguez, 17, was fatally shot on the city’s East Side, neighbors and family members gathered Monday to pray and honor him.
Nick’s mom, Rachel Mitchell, is working on a project for Sept. 25, the national day of remembrance for murder victims. She doesn’t want her son and others who have been murdered in the Aurora area to be forgotten about, she said.
She plans to take pictures and information about each of the victims and put it on posters outside the police department, hoping people will see what cases are still open.
“Maybe if they are all together, people will see it and come together,” Mitchell said. “Someone has to know something and these kids are dying. We normalize it too much.”
Rodriguez, 17, was found on the sidewalk after he had been shot several times on the 300 block of Spencer Street in Aurora as he was walking to his home on George Street the night of Feb. 11, police said.
“He was good-hearted and funny,” Mitchell said. “He was a character, honestly, and knew exactly how to be himself.”
The vigil was held through the Prayer Coalition for Reconciliation and led by the Rev. Dan Haas and the Rev. Randy Schoof, pastor of Warehouse Church. The two reminded neighbors that we are all responsible for one another.
In 2019, the city has seen an uptick in shooting deaths with nine so far this year, however, that is a bit of an anomaly due to the five deaths during the Henry Pratt Co. workplace shooting.
Aurora has not seen this many killings since 2015.
Haas apologized that it took months to host the vigil.
“Your son is as important as anyone else on the list and we want to remember all of those who died this year,” Haas said.
While nationwide people are talking about how to solve anger and violence in communities, Haas said the only way it will be prevented is to talk to people we know, such as family and neighbors who are violent.
“If we can’t help them, we help them get help,” he said.
A vigil was also held Monday for Daniel Perez-Alvarez, 18, who was shot and killed near Claim and Beach streets in Aurora as he was riding in a car with three other people on Jan. 23.
The shot came from another vehicle passing by, and police have previously said they do not believe the shooting was random.
During both vigils, Haas called for neighbors to come forward and talk to the police. In the late 1990s, that didn’t happen as much, he said, but neighborhood groups have now come together to help the police.
“We need to not be quiet,” Haas said. “Murder is a spiritual problem, and police can solve crimes, but they cannot prevent them from happening.”
Aurora Police Department spokesman Paris Lewbel said investigations are ongoing in both cases and detectives are actively seeking leads.
Anyone with information about the shootings is asked to contact the Aurora Police Investigations Division at 630-256-5500 or Crime Stoppers at 630-892-1000 where tips can be left anonymously.
