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'I'll never have my whole family again': Families, local police chiefs push to curb gun violence among Central Texas teens

"Right now, there is a lot of kids dying left and right,” said Kara Ford. “I really want it to stop. No one deserves to die. No one deserves to get shot."

KILLEEN, Texas — Seven months ago, 19-year-old Quinton Ford was shot to death in the parking lot of Harker Heights High School.

"I'll never have my whole family again," Quinton Ford's mother, Nichole Smith said.

Every month, Smith, along with the rest of Quinton Ford's family, gather at his grave to celebrate and remember him.

On April 20, Quinton Ford was involved in an argument that escalated into a shooting at the high school, police said. Three people were arrested in connection to his death. The loss shattered his mother's heart.

"... It does not affect Quinton. It affects all of us. I have to watch my kids go through this. I have to watch his friends go through this," Smith said.

RELATED: Two indicted in Harker Heights High School parking lot shooting that left 19-year-old dead

Quinton Ford's family is now trying to make sure their pain doesn't become someone else's. They recently started the Quinton Ford Foundation in hopes of giving back to the community and helping to stop the violence.

"Right now, there is a lot of kids dying left and right,” said sister Kara Ford. “I really want it to stop. No one deserves to die. No one deserves to get shot."

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Credit: KCEN
Quinton Ford, 19, was shot and killed outside the parking lot of Harker Heights High School in April.

Curving the violence among our youth is also top priority for police departments across Central Texas. From hybrid gangs in Killeen to wild shootouts in Temple, many teenagers, like Quinton Ford, are losing their lives.

"We don't want this to continue," said Kristin Ford. “Once we can try to control it and maybe pursue kids to do the right things, we can do other stuff like maybe help kids in the hospital. We don't want it to always be about the violence because we want the violence to be gone."

Quinton Ford's murder happened in Harker Heights, but other Central Texas cities are dealing with teens and gun use. 

In May, multiple teenagers in Temple were involved in shootout at Wayman Manor Apartment Complex.

READ MORE: 'We really need the community's help' | Temple Police Chief, community responds to recent apartment shootout

"We were very fortunate in this circumstance, in fact a couple of rounds went through a vacant apartment window,” said Temple Police Chief Shawn Reynolds. “We were told later that was where the kids used to sleep prior to this incident. Thank goodness those tenants moved out."

Two months later, 18-year-old Jamaal Florence and a 17-year-old were arrested in connection to a wild shootout at Club Paradise in Temple.

Below is video of the incident.

In Killeen, gang activity is growing. Police Chief Charles Kimble said the department believes a string of September shootings are related to local gangs K-Town Mafia, Young Paper Chasers and Stretch. Their members are between the ages of 17 and 22, he said.

"It is going to end tragic. That is the only thing I can tell you about the gang life,” said Kimble. "It is going to end with you incarcerated for a long time. It is going to end with you hospitalized with a gunshot wound, or you will end up dead."

Kimble said the gangs are described the groups as "hybrid gangs" with no identifiable leaders that are made up of individuals who get together and engage in criminal activity, like drug trafficking, aggravated assault and even homicide. 

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Kimble said a lot of teens have easy access to guns and are getting them through home burglaries and unlocked cars.

"And the sad thing about it is, a lot of people won’t report it, because they are embarrassed or they're not supposed to have a gun themselves,” said Kimble.

Kimble said it is the departments' goal to steer kids away from crime, but says it is also up to the parents to help.

"If I can just speak to the parents: Please get involved with your children," he said. "At the end of the day, they may be 16- and 17-year-old gangsters, but they are children. They are somebody's child. Find out what they are doing and get them away from this gang life."

RELATED: 'Enough is enough': Two Killeen shootings involved 3 local gangs, police chief reports

This is something Smith agrees with.

"'We have to retrain. We need to love each other at the end of the day. I pray for all of them," said Smith.

The family of Quinton Ford said they are planning a "Stop the Violence March" in the future.

Credit: Kristin Ford
A photo of Quinton Ford, 19.

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