COLUMBUS, Ohio — June is known as National Gun Violence Awareness Month. This month also marks three years since 17-year-old Makenzi Ridley was shot and killed in Columbus. On Monday, her mother, Seneca, spoke before Columbus City Council about her continued fight for justice.
"My daughter was murdered in broad daylight at a park with 300 kids playing,” Seneca said.
It happened on June 24, 2021. Police said multiple individuals fired shots into a crowd of people gathered near the Far East Community Center. Makenzi was shot and later died at a hospital.
Now three years later, the case remains unsolved, but Seneca said she’s not giving up.
"As a mom, I feel very disappointed, I feel very let down by this city,” Seneca said.
Seneca said she’s been told due to the backlog of criminal cases during COVID-19, her daughter’s case may not get solved. Detectives also told her because there were multiple shooters, it would be hard to prove who did it.
"It is a hard thing to hear that because my child was murdered in Franklin County, that her murder may not be resolved because of a backlog,” Seneca said.
Seneca added in order for change to happen, the responsibility must also fall on the community to stop saying silent if they know who committed a crime.
"Even if it's a family member, I'm going to be defensive and hide my loved one... because until we change this, its going to keep happening,” Seneca said.
Shayla Favor, a Columbus City Councilmember, agreed. Favor said the work can’t be limited to a day or month, acknowledging its going to take a continued effort to keep the homicides in the city under triple digits this year.
"We say June 7th is the day in which we recognize gun violence, but it cannot just fall on one day and it certainly cannot just be a month,” Favor said.
Seneca said she will never stop fighting for justice for Makenzi.
"I'm her mom, I will always be her mom and I will always be fighting for her, dead or alive,” Seneca said.
Seneca also works to keep Makenzi’s legacy alive through her nonprofit, Orange Hearts for Makenzi. Its an entrepreneurship training program supporting people ages 15-23 to start businesses of their own. The program has supported 30 students so far. For more information, click here.