Fayetteville Girl Scout Troop creates memorial garden in honor of teen gun violence victims

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (WTVD) -- A Girl Scout troop in Fayetteville honored one of their own by creating a memorial garden for teen gun violence victims.

The garden is a part of Troop 1804's Silver Award project, the highest award a Girl Scout Cadette can earn.

The troop was directly affected by teen gun violence last year when former Girl Scout member 16-year-old Coryonna Young was found shot and killed in a Fayetteville home in October.

Coryonna's mother, Fayetteville city council member Courtney Banks-Mclaughlin spoke at the ceremony and called for an end to gun violence.

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"Gun violence has not only impacted my family, your family, our community, the United States, we have to do something about it,' she said. "We really have to figure out the root cause of it and make change."

The mother of 18-year-old Tatiana Haywood, who was senior at Douglas Byrd High School also spoke at the event Saturday.

Tatiana was fatally shot in May by her 18-year-old boyfriend, who later killed himself.

The Teens with Wings memorial garden was created as a space where family members and loved ones can go to remember and reflect on the teens who lost their lives due to violent crime. It's located at Lewis Chapel Baptist Church where Coryonna was a member.