After losing his son, Raleigh father says gun violence has to stop

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- When you walk around Craig Curtis' southeast Raleigh neighborhood, he's quick to point you to where people's lives have been torn apart by gun violence.

There are too many names to remember.

But now there's one he can't forget.

That is his son's, Craig Jr.

"I'm tired of it," he said Monday. "I went to one funeral and that was my son, and I don't want to go to any more."

Craig Jr. was killed 10 days ago at the hands of a friend's gun. It happened at his mother's house on Harmony Court.

One teenager is in custody and charged with involuntary manslaughter.

The family released balloons to honor him last weekend.

"He was home where a teenager should be at 16, they should be home," Craig said. "Where are they getting these guns from? Where are they coming from? My son got hit with a high-powered rifle, an AR-15. Where do they come from?"

Crime Tool: ABC11 Neighborhood Safety Tracker

Last week, Raleigh Police Chief Estella Patterson addressed crimes involving youths. She said 11% of aggravated assaults in the last quarter of 2022 were committed by juveniles who had access to guns.

RPD is partnering with the Department of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency on a statewide safe storage project, which includes a campaign about gun locks.

The stories don't seem to stop either.

On Sunday, a 7-year-old was shot by an 8-year-old relative in Goldsboro. In Newport News Virginia, recently, a 6-year-old brought a gun to school and shot his teacher.

"It hurts," Craig Sr. said. "I laugh, I cry, I mope so my emotions are everywhere. This has to stop, it has to stop, people are suffering, communities are suffering behind gun violence."

Craig Jr. has three siblings. His father said the teenager charged with homicide is out of jail and on home monitoring.

Craig Jr. was a student at Enloe and had just celebrated his 16th birthday.