263 people in Baltimore died by homicide in 2023. They had names, stories, and loved ones.
The city held its annual Vigil of Remembrance on Wednesday night to speak the names of the dead and honor those lost to homicide, overdose, and suicide. This year was the first time it had been held fully in-person since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
They prayed. They cried. They hugged each other as they listened to the names read aloud.
Nicole Williams went looking for closure after her daughter Shawnika Deniton was murdered in May.
“She was only 31, a mother, a daughter, and we love her and miss her so much,” Williams said through deep sobs. Williams is raising Deniton’s two children. The perpetrator has not yet been caught after Deniton was killed in May; Williams said the Baltimore Police Department has been helpful but it’s hard for her to go so long without having that justice. Deniton was killed in her home on Bel-Air Road, her mother believes it was likely someone who knew her daughter.
Tarento Brown came to Wednesday’s vigil in remembrance of her brother Pedie Edwards.
Read more (and listen) at WYPR.
