'I saw my uncle get shot': Dallas ISD students share the impact of gun violence on young people

DALLAS - "How many people here know someone killed by gun violence?"

Hands went up across the auditorium at Pinkston High School in Dallas during a youth town hall on gun violence on Thursday.

Students from Pinkston and Sunset high schools took part in the town hall developed by the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives.

"Around October 27, 2017, I saw my uncle get shot," said Kaylah Bookman. "When you see something like that it can really have an effect on you mentally."

FOX 4's Shaun Rabb served as moderator for the discussion and many kids weighed in with their thoughts and feelings.

"Ever since I was a kid before I go to sleep I hear at least a couple gunshots go off, and then I fall asleep like, it's just something that we grew up with," said Dora Rivera.

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"Music does affect the mindset. Mentally, physically, spiritually and socially," said Daejon Jackson. "Social media makes it ten times worse."

"Violence has always been there, you can't just blame it on one thing. There's multiple things you have to blame it on," said Alexys Sombredero.

"I feel like when we look at people we see the numbers, we see this problem, but we don't see the individual faces and the dreams and the possibilities of all the people that actually get effected by gun violence," said LaCarlton Oby.

Glynda Williams talked about her son Anthony, who was murdered almost two years ago at the age of 18.

"He wasn't a good kid, but he wasn't a really bad kid either," she said.

Anthony left home at 11 in the morning to watch a fight that had been talked about on social media. He was shot in the back.

Williams doesn't want her son's story to be these high school students' story.

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"I want you to be able to chuck the dues and keep it moving. Why? Because I need you to make decisions for tomorrow if you're not there. Those decisions can't be made. I need you to experience a life Anthony never got a chance to," she told the students.

Thursday's event is the first in a series of planned town hall discussions with students from different schools. 

The goal is to talk about why so many guns end up in young hands and what happens when guns get into the wrong hands.