VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) – On April 13 around 10 p.m., a shooting on New Colony Drive took the life of two men.
“My child was only 25. He was gonna turn 26 on the 17th, four days later,” said Nadira Casey. “My child got embalmed on this birthday.”
Casey mourns the loss of her youngest of six children. His name is Adrian Archer, but his loved ones called him “AJ.”
“I told Adrian. I love you so much. I love you dearly. Three days later my son was dead,” she said.
Casey said she moved her family to Virginia Beach from Brooklyn, New York to escape violence. She said Archer was goofy, and kind.
“He grew up wanting to help others and that’s the thing that he carried in until he passed away or rather got murdered. Adrian would help anybody off the street,” Casey said.
Casey shared one story where Archer helped a homeless man who knocked on Archer’s door.
“Adrian took off his shirt, and his shoes, gave him a pair of pants and a plate of food, and gave it to him. That’s the type of son I had,” she said.
Casey said the last time she saw her son was the day he died. She said he left her home after helping her fix a household appliance.
“All I know is he went to go pick up marijuana and he was coming right back. All I know is I got a phone call. He was over here and had gotten shot. I feel like that he was lured over here. There is no way that he would have put himself in that position. That type of danger,” Casey said.
Virginia Beach police say two men were killed following a shooting on the 5600 block of New Colony Drive. Police responded to the shooting at 9:53 pm.
Police said Adrian Archer and 19-year-old Justin Varney were killed. One other victim, who is 18 years old, was shot and had serious injuries. The crime scene stretched from Stoneybrook Park to nearby homes.
Officers were at the scene for more than eight hours, in a situation that police say was, “complex.” A mother of a neighbor told 10 on Your Side, that her son, found a victim laying at his doorstep.
Police said no arrests have been made. However, Casey says she’s staying persistent to get answers about her son’s killer.
“How much I miss my son. How much I miss his voice. And how much I need to fight for him because now he has no voice in anything,” Casey said.
Casey said her son died at Stoneybrook Park. She’s convinced the location made it easy for his killer.
“If there was cameras, if there was lighting out here, that was lit enough all the way all the way around this far would have prevented it. From that shooting occurring to begin with. And it’s not it’s not lit at all.”
Virginia Beach Parks & Recreation says:
Virginia Beach has more than 170 neighborhood parks like Stoneybrook. These small parks don’t have lighting because they close at sunset. Only larger community parks that have evening organized activities have lighting since they routinely stay open past sunset.
Virginia Beach Parks & Recreation
Casey is also taking on another mission, she is fighting to get guns off the street.
“Bullets do not have names on them,” she said.
She’s using her son’s story, to show the pain gun violence can bring.
“Hug your children. Let them know how much you love them because they could walk out their door had never returned,” Casey said
She also shared a message to the person that pulled the trigger.
“May God have mercy on your soul because at the end of the day, there is no justice that could ever bring my son back here or the other young man. And that’s the only thing I can say at this point. God, have mercy on your soul.”
Casey said Archer was excited about the birth of his first born son, who is due this summer.
She said a funeral service was held for Archer in Brooklyn but she is raising money to bury him. You can click here to help the family with burial expenses.