A Yonkers father who lost his son to gun violence says change is needed to stop the epidemic of violence.
It's been more than a month since 30-year-old Rahkim Shealy was gunned down at Grant Park. His murder is still unsolved.
Warren Shealy, Rahkim’s father, says that his son has run into trouble before and he believes he was targeted.
"He got into some things in the streets of Yonkers,” Warren says.
Rahkim was arrested in 2018 for crimes connected to gang activity. He spent his time in prison turning his life around.
Warren says it got his son on what is referred to in the streets as "the come up."
"What the come up is when you go through something and then you decide you want to do better,” he says. "We live in a place where most men don't talk much about that…most men think it’s over when you mess up."
Warren says that mentality is at the heart of an epidemic of gun violence— young Black men, like Rahkim, who just don't have a way out.
"We don’t talk about mental health, we don't talk about job training,” Warren says. “If they get incarcerated, we drop them back here and we do nothing with them."
Warren says he wants to see less talking on the issue of gun violence and more action. His faith tells him everybody deserves a second chance.
"This problem, it’s getting worse, it’s not getting better,” Warren says. "I believe in God, I believe you can always start over."
Rahkim left behind a 5-year-old daughter.
Anyone with information on Rahkim’s case is asked to call Yonkers police.
Last month, Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul met with stakeholders in Yonkers to discuss solutions to gun violence.
The state is offering hundreds of jobs and provided funding to curb substance abuse and address mental health.