At emotional funeral, teenager killed in Goldsboro spring-break shooting is laid to rest

GOLDSBORO, N.C. (WTVD) -- There are growing calls for action a week after a spring-break shootout left one girl dead, and five other people injured in Goldsboro.

On Wednesday, 15-year-old Joyonna Pearsall was laid to rest. Hundreds of mourners -- many in shirts bearing Joyonna's name and picture -- gathered to pay their respects at a standing-room-only church. The emotional service lasted almost three hours and included pleas from Joyonna's family to the youth in the Goldsboro community.

"I want to share this with especially all the young people here. This young lady did not deserve what happened to her," said one family member at the service.

Her grandmother said she was angry after hearing the news but grew thankful for the time they had together.

"I just want to tell God, thank you for the 15 years, 11 months and 12 days that he gave me Joyonna," she said.

Now, the focus in the community is turning to what can be done from here. Mark Colebrook started the organization "Operation Unite Goldsboro" with the goal of stemming violence in the area. He said people in the community want justice, but that he is seeing a greater response at a grassroots level in the wake of the shooting.

"They're very frustrated, and this one here, I want to say, has really brought the frustration level to the point where I see more and more people coming out and saying 'we need to change,'" said Colebrook.

Colebrook is channeling that momentum into another push for change. On Sunday, his organization is holding a rally against gun violence in Joyonna's memory near the scene of the shooting. He said the goal is to hear from kids in the community who say they're scared and don't feel listened to.

"We have to change our way of thinking if we're going to get them to feel safe and trust us, we have to listen to them," Colebrook said. "So that's what we're doing on Sunday. At the rally, we're going to have more kids speak than adults speak."

Goldsboro Police said there are no updates in their investigation into the shooting.