At Coligny Beach, group remembers slain teen and calls for gun-control laws
Lasha Milton's memories of the little things her nephew Dominique Williams did for her -- the calls on her birthday or the times he told her he loved her and was proud of her -- are the moments she holds on to nearly two months after Williams' death.
But, as Milton said at a vigil for her slain nephew Thursday, those memories are fleeting.
"Life is priceless," Milton said through tears. "There are moments you will never get back."
At Coligny Beach Park on Thursday, just a few yards from where 17-year-old Williams was gunned down July 19, more than 75 family members, friends and concerned citizens met to remember him and call for an end to gun violence in the U.S.
Williams' family all wore royal blue to the vigil, and many in attendance wore royal blue ribbons; it was his favorite color.
Williams' stepmother, Olga Williams, said the reminders that her stepson had been destined to do great things come daily. Since his death, she often finds herself putting together photo collages on social media, something he would always do, she said.
She recounted how her daughter asked her to "call God and ask for my brother back."
"Everything I do now is about Dom," she said. "I love him, I miss him, and I wish he were here with us right now."
Many of the speakers talked about Dominique Williams' bright future. He was expected to play on Groves High School's football team this year and was a talented drummer with dreams of becoming famous, Olga Williams said.
Last Friday, the football team honored Dominique Williams at halftime. He would have worn No. 16, she said.
Dominique Williams' youth ministry mentor, Alex Brown, said the other members of his youth group felt like there was "a piece of the puzzle missing" without the teen there preparing with them for an event Sept. 19. Dominique Williams would have been the one to keep them in check and in sync with the music for their performance, Brown said.
At the emotional vigil, Dominique Williams' family stood side-by-side with members of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, a group founded after the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting to call for stronger gun-control laws.
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Thursday's vigil was part of a national movement called Whatever It Takes Day, held in conjunction with a gun-control rally in front of the US Capitol earlier that morning. The rally in Washington, D.C., on Thursday was led by Andy Parker, father of slain Roanoke, Va., television reporter Alison Parker, who said he would do "whatever it takes" to get strong gun-control laws passed.
Olga Williams said the family had been approached by Moms Demand Action. After reading about their goal, there was no hesitation to join the call for gun control and an end to "senseless acts of violence," as family friend Tracee Spencer said.
A 15-year-old boy has been charged with murder in connection with Dominique Williams' death July 19. His name has not been released, and he is currently being held at a juvenile justice facility in Columbia.
14th Circuit Solicitor Duffie Stone has filed a motion petitioning a Family Court judge to charge the boy with murder as an adult, but no decision has been made.
Stone said Thursday a pretrial evaluation to determine the juvenile suspect's sophistication and maturity has not been completed. No hearings or court dates have been scheduled in the case yet, he said.
There is no timetable for the family court judge to make a decision, Stone said.
According to the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office, Dominique Williams had been in a fistfight with the suspect outside Cordillo Courts apartments the evening before the shooting.
So far, no information about what caused the fistfight or led to the shooting has been released. Sheriff's Office spokesman Capt. Bob Bromage said the nature of the dispute is still under investigation.
Diana Heitman of Moms Demand Action urged the vigil's attendees to call their senators and representatives and demand stronger gun-control laws and background checks.
"If a gun wasn't available, it's unlikely a fight wouldn't have happened, but Dominique would still be here," she said.
At the vigil Thursday, Lasha Milton said she couldn't fathom how someone could "devalue life" so much to resort to violence.
At the end of the short vigil, Williams' mother Rudy Milton spoke briefly, thanking the community for their support and asking to keep all who knew her son in her prayers.
"Your presence here speaks volumes about him," she said.
His friends and family have struggled to pick up the pieces after his death, Spencer said.
"It has been a nightmare," she said. "And it will continue to be really hard for a long time."
Follow reporter Matt McNab at twitter.com/IPBG_Matt.
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This story was originally published September 10, 2015 at 8:30 PM with the headline "At Coligny Beach, group remembers slain teen and calls for gun-control laws."