ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — A family who lost their son to gun violence is educating our community on ways to prevent senseless killings.
At just 20 years old, Marquis Scott's dad says he had a smile that was infectious.
"He was the kid when he got off the bus he would wave, but you could see the smile before the wave," Maress Scott said.
That smile is one his dad and so many miss after Marquis was shot and killed four years ago riding his bike in St. Pete. One suspect has since been shot and killed by police and the other is still on the run. After the shooting, the Scott family was hurting.
"It was horrible. Totally interrupted our lives. I had kids in college come home and we all slept in our living room together," Maress added.
There was so much pain in their hearts. They didn’t know how to move forward.
"We wanted to find a way to change what happened to us into something positive," Maress added.
So they began healing, starting "Quis for Life." They hold gun violence trainings to educate others on five key ways to end gun violence. The five include who it affects, the role drugs and alcohol play, why people don’t speak up, how we can make change, and when to take a stand.
"He’s taking us to more places than we’d ever go. We’re here because of Marquis," his dad said.
Sept. 17, 2019, Marquis' family didn’t know how to live without this smile in their lives.
"We were hurt because we were like how do we get to see sunshine without Marquis? How do we move on without him?" Maress said.
His family is moving on by showing you their pain and sticking to their promise to put a stop to gun violence.
"We’ve been able to move forward and take him with us and we want to share that," he said.
This Sunday marks four years since Marquis was shot and killed. To honor his life, his family is hosting a walk. They welcome anyone to join them at Straub Park at 2 p.m., to walk with them.