It has been five years since a summer shooting shocked a community and left three young men dad outside a popular youth club.

It was August 19, 2015 when gunshots rang out following a late night basketball game at the Boys & Girls Club in Rochester.

“It hurts. It will hurt forever, it will hurt forever because we love him. We’ve been doing it for five years strong now and we will continue to do it because they will never be forgotten,” said Jonah Barley’s cousin, Jahmek Clanton of Rochester.

Barley, Raekwon Manigault, and Johnny Johnson were all remembered during a ceremony marking the anniversary of their deaths. It comes at a time when the city is still dealing with the tragic loss of young people to gun violence. Just last week, two young men were shot and killed as they sat in their car on the city’s west-side.

“We have and we will continue to bring murderers to justice. We will continue to take illegal guns off of our streets, like the 193 guns that the Rochester Police Department has confiscated over the last six weeks,” said Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren.

The mayor admits there are thousands of more illegal guns out there and it will take a community working together to help solve the problem of violence.

“Black lives do matter. All lives matter, all of them. So let’s care, let’s be for each other, can we be for each other, please?” said Clanton.

A butterfly release symbolized the three young lives that were lost that August night and five years later, many are still hoping that this tragedy will serve as a reminder about a senseless act of violence.

“Put the guns down, stop the violence, keep the peace, that’s the message,” said Clanton.

Johnny Blackshell Jr. was convicted and is currently serving prison time for their murders. Two other men charged in the attack, Jalen Everett and Michael Mathis, were acquitted. 

Everett was shot and killed in May 2019.