As the Queen Creek community continues to grapple with the unsolved death of 16-year-old Preston Lord, killed outside a Halloween party on October 28, local news outlet 12News is stepping up to address the surge of teen violence in the area with a Town Hall meeting set for January 22, as reported by 12News.
Nearly three months have slipped by, and the absence of arrests in relation to Lord's death looms heavy, despite authorities collecting thousands of pieces of evidence and the community feeling the weight of their grief, questions breeding in the silence and stillness that each passing day brings, in the three months since the tragedy snatched away a life in its blooming.
The grief-stricken Combs High School, where Lord was remembered as a star student and athlete, has found a semblance of solidarity in mourning, "Right now, I get my strength to make sure that my boys are stay maintaining sanity and mental health and enjoying their life at this point," Hosea Graham, Combs High School basketball coach, told 12News in a statement that speaks volumes of the agony being felt by the team.
Graham's coaching mantle has transformed, it seems, into a beacon of guidance and support, helping his players navigate the tumultuous waves of loss and grief and they've rallied in brotherhood, a solidarity formed in the furnace of a shared pain that none of them ever thought would sear their realities so deeply, for the coach, his message of kindness and service anchor him and his team through the storm.
To honor their late teammate, the members of the basketball team have woven his memory into the fabric of their game; "Before every game, I try to go and sit by the jersey and say a couple of words. Just remember him," Jaxon Jones, a junior on the team, shared with 12News.
In response to the tragedy, the community has established a GoFundMe page to support the Lord family during this challenging period, with links available for those who wish to contribute. As the authorities continue to review the vast evidence collected, the town hall promises to be a crucible for discourse and change, inviting experts and the community to unravel the root causes of teen violence and cultivate strategies for prevention and healing.
