DURHAM, N.C. — A North Carolina mother, whose son was killed, is pleading for an end to gun violence after an increase in gun thefts statewide.
She's urging people to store their guns safely, so another parent doesn’t have to bury their child.
Lavern Lucier places flowers every other week at the memorial site where her son was shot one month after his 18th birthday in his Durham neighborhood.
“All of a sudden, my daughter called me, and she was like, 'Mom, I hear gunshots.' I always told her, if you hear anything in the neighborhood, just call 911, and then she called me back and she was telling me it was Syncere,” Lucier explained.
Aug. 10 marks three years since Lucier received that phone call about her son Syncere Burrell, a 2020 graduate of Bull City YouthBuild in Durham.
His death, which shook the community, still hasn’t been solved.
“Syncere was a beautiful person. He was sweet. He loved everybody. He was a funny guy. He loved to make you laugh,” Lucier explained.
Gun violence is taking the lives of a startling number of children and teenagers across North Carolina and nationwide. According to statistics from NCSafe.org, firearms are the leading cause of death among children and teens statewide.
“I want them to think rationally, when you’re allowing people under the age of 21. When you’re thinking about letting them get guns. Let’s be sensible, because you’ll feel differently once this knocks on your front door and you’ve lost a child,” Lucier explained.
Spectrum News 1 spoke with Lucier the same day family and friends attended the funeral of Khloe Fennel, a 5-year-old who lost her life to gun violence this month.
“For every mom that has lost their baby, that’s your baby. This one was a little hard for me because she was just 5 years old,” Lucier explained.
Experts blame the crime trend on the pandemic and the number of countless guns left in unlocked vehicles.
“People that own guns, we’re not against guns, but just keep them in a safe place, because so many guns that have been used have been stolen,” Lucier stated.“People that own guns, we’re not against guns, but just keep them in a safe place, because so many guns that have been used have been stolen,” Lucier stated.
According to NCSafe.org, in 2020, 211 firearms were stolen from vehicles in Raleigh.
In Durham, 62% of the 185 gun thefts from cars in 2022 stemmed from unlocked vehicles.
A 2021 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System survey revealed more than half of the firearms stored loaded at homes were unlocked.
“It’s always painful to come out here to this cemetery, because he shouldn’t be here,” Lucier stated.
Every time Lucier visits her son’s grave, about five minutes down the road from his memorial, it’s a reminder of why she keeps advocating for an end to the gun violence that’s taking the lives of countless children.
Gov. Roy Cooper launched the North Carolina Secure All Firearms Effectively (SAFE) initiative to urge people to safely store their weapons, so that no family has to visit their child’s grave.
“I love you forever and ever and ever, and you're going to always be a reminder in my walk of life, and I’ll continue to do things in your honor till the day I leave this world,” Lucier said.
On Aug. 10, Lucier is hosting a back-to-school giveaway drive in her son’s memory at 6 p.m. at Duke Park in Durham.
The goal is to send a message before the start of the school year about the impact gun violence can have on a child’s mental health.
Related: 'A call for action': Play highlights impact of gun violence on children
