NORFOLK, Va. — Students at Bountiful Blessing Academy in Norfolk are learning what it means to "choose peace."

A local mother who lost her son to gun violence is using her story to inspire the next generation to stand against senseless shootings.

Shana Turner's 25-year-old son, Shaquille, was murdered in 2017 as he was leaving work on Northampton Boulevard.

“He was killed by a co-worker, and our lives haven’t been the same since then,” Turner said.

She describes her son as a hardworking young man with big dreams that were cut short too soon.

“I’ll never be able to see him walk down the aisle or anything,” she said. “The impact was really hard on our family.”

Now, Turner is turning her grief into purpose. As the regional lead for Voices of Black Mothers United in Virginia, she works w

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