Advocates will place hundreds of roses in Public Square Park in downtown Nashville Friday to honor a teen who was recently killed and raise awareness about gun violence.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Advocates will place hundreds of white roses in Public Square Park in downtown Nashville Friday to honor a teen who was recently killed and raise awareness about gun violence.
Yasser Paz, 18, was killed in South Nashville less than two weeks ago. According to MNPD, he and a 20-year-old were shot at Bucanas Night Club on Nolensville Pike around 2:30 a.m. on Sept. 8. The other victim had critical injuries but survived.
According to the latest data from Metro police, there have been 70 homicides so far this year. That number is actually down by about 4% compared to the same time period in 2023 when 73 people had been killed.
The Tennessee Hispanic Action Network is hosting Friday’s vigil saying it’s a call to action for policies and solutions that address this pressing issue.
“There are very few people that don’t have that personal connection to gun violence, because it affects us all,” said organizer Bailey Jones. “There are wealthy people in Green Hills who have lost people to gun violence there, be it a robbery, a school shooting, just random acts of violence, and it goes all the way down to people I grew up with in Antioch. We’re all affected by it equally.”
The vigil starts at 6 p.m. People are asked to bring a picture or an item that belonged to their loved one to honor them.
“There will never be a form of closure that’s good enough for these families and nothing will bring back their babies, but I’m hoping it brings them a sense of community, knowing that they’re cared about, and that people are still working to end the I mean, it’s really an epidemic… an epidemic that took away their babies, their dads, their loved ones,” said Jones.
They will place 722 roses on the lawn of Public Square Park representing deaths related to gun violence in Nashville over the past 10 years.
“When we talk about issues that affect our city, we tend to forget big swaths of our city, right? We think, well, that doesn’t happen in my neighborhood, but it does, and all of those roses represent all over the city, not just in, you know, green hills or just Antioch. So we should all be caring for each other, and that’s what community is about, right?” said Melissa Alvarez-Zabriskie with the Tennessee Hispanic Action Network.
Paz’s family will also hold a news conference at 10 a.m. to ask for help with finding his killer. Homicide detectives are continuing to work strong leads in this case. Anyone with information can anonymously call Crime Stoppers at 615-74-CRIME.