Mothers, Grandmothers Take Prayer to Baton Rouge Streets After Children Killed by Gunfire

BATON ROUGE, La. — A group of mothers and grandmothers gathered along Scenic Highway on Saturday morning, lifting prayers and signs toward passing traffic as they mourned children lost to gun violence and urged the community to confront the growing crisis.

Standing in the parking lot of Kutt N’ Korner barbershop, about a dozen women held signs reading “Save Our Children” and called out the names of two young victims whose deaths this month have shaken the city. Drivers responded with honking horns as the women prayed, preached, and pleaded for change.

Many in the crowd were ministers or relatives of children killed by gunfire. Several said the gathering was both a vigil and a public call for communities to reclaim their neighborhoods from violence.

Cathy Toliver, who lost her 3-year-old grandson in 2022 when a stray bullet pierced the wall of his bedroom and struck him as he slept, told those gathered that the pain of losing a child never fades. Since her grandson’s death, she said she has felt compelled to bring prayer into the very streets where violence occurs.

“This is not a club anyone wants to belong to,” Toliver told the small crowd and nearby residents. “But when violence reaches your door, you realize how real it is. That’s why we will keep standing out here and speaking up.”

The rally came days after two separate shootings that claimed the lives of young children in Baton Rouge.

Eight-year-old Davian Nicholas was killed on March 8 while playing basketball on a dead-end street with friends when a stray bullet struck him. Investigators say the gunfire erupted during a confrontation between four men, two in a vehicle and two on foot. Authorities later arrested all four suspects.

Later in the week, 10-year-old Kimani Thomas was fatally shot while playing in the parking lot of a Sonic restaurant on Government Street. Police believe the shooting happened when an 8-year-old child inside a parked vehicle found a firearm, and it discharged.

At the gathering on Saturday, speakers repeated the children’s names through a microphone, pausing as passing drivers responded with supportive honks.

Just blocks away from the rally site, another family continues to live with a similar tragedy. Erica Rayford’s 8-year-old grandson, Diellon Daniels, was killed in November 2024 when gunmen fired dozens of rounds into a minivan they mistakenly believed was their intended target.

Rayford told those assembled that faith and support from other grieving mothers have helped her endure the loss.

“Even in grief and sorrow, we hold on to hope,” she said during a prayer. “When you know God, you can still find strength to rise above what tries to destroy you.”

Among those attending was Louisiana state Sen. Regina Barrow of Baton Rouge, who thanked the women for refusing to remain silent while children continue to die.

Barrow said the work of lawmakers alone cannot solve the problem of violence, calling community engagement essential to lasting change.

“Our young people are being exposed to so much too early,” she said. “By the time some reach their teenage years, their hearts have hardened. That’s why voices like these matter.”

Although the gathering was small, participants said they believe consistent community action can spark broader change.

Many expressed concern that shootings involving children are becoming disturbingly common in Baton Rouge. Some said younger generations are growing up in neighborhoods where gunfire has become a normal part of life.

The women who gathered along Scenic Highway said their message was simple: the city must refuse to accept that reality.

Through prayer, community support and persistent public advocacy, they said they hope Baton Rouge can once again become a safer place for its children.