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National Day of Remembrance for Murder Victims
Milwaukee's murder victims were honored Monday, the National Day of Remembrance for Murder Victims.
MILWAUKEE - Milwaukee's murder victims were honored on Monday, Sept. 25, the National Day of Remembrance for Murder Victims.
For two years, Shelita Furlow has mourned her son, Jovan Wilder.
"Unfortunately, myself and my husband and my family, we have to live with this forever," said Furlow. "It's difficult during holiday times and not having all of my boys. It’s difficult having to take pictures, and I have not taken a family picture. My son's not here. My family is broken."
Wilder died in March 2021, the day after his 19th birthday. He's among the hundreds of people killed in the city in recent years.
"Never thought I would be a part of that statistic," said Wilder. "I did everything in our power to make sure that my boys wouldn’t have to deal with that. Here we are."
Furlow was among the family members of the hundreds of people killed in Milwaukee who gathered on this Day of Remembrance at Metropolitan Baptist Church on Burleigh.
"Justice would be having Jovan," said Furlow.
Prosecutors charged two brothers with the homicide. Court documents say they unintentionally hit Wilder with bullets.
Shelita Furlow
"I walk in the spirit of forgiveness," said Furlow. "I walk in the spirit of peace because it can easily be someone else who's in this situation, so not only have I lost my child, but a family is losing two at one time because of a stupid mistake.
Congress established the National Day of Remembrance for Murder Victims in 2007.
Milwaukee police data show 127 people died by homicide in 2023, down 22% from the same time in 2022, but that still leaves more than 100 lives cut short with families grieving.
"You don't get to choose that I hate you for the rest of your life, and so because I want the cycle to end, I have no choice but to forgive," said Furlow. "I have no choice but to heal in the forgiveness that allows me to heal, and one of the methods that I did also use for my journey is to actually write about it."
Raekwon and Richard Dangerfield
On Monday, Raekwon Dangerfield, one of the men charged in Wilder's killing pleaded guilty. His brother, Richard, was previously sentenced to 28 years in prison.