HOUSTON — Houston's Discovery Green is now home to a memorial that honors the lives lost to gun violence in Texas.
The Giffords Foundation, a nonprofit organization aimed to end gun violence, spearheaded the project.
The foundation was founded by former Rep. Gabby Giffords, who was shot at a community event in Tucson in 2011.
Her agency placed 4,000 vases in the park, each representing a Texan who lost their life to gun violence in 2020.
It’s a story, Josefine Cannon never thought she’d be telling.
"I was one of those people who thought it won't happen to us, however, it did happen to us. Gun violence touches countless lives every day,” she said.
Cannon’s son, Sean, was shot and killed in October 2013 in San Antonio. She says his case is still unsolved.
“He died from multiple gunshot wounds," Cannon said. "He was only 29 years old."
She says it’s a reality her family still struggles with.
"We miss him dearly every moment of every day," Cannon said.
The memorial is a visual representation of the families across Texas living through that same pain.
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Cannon has since become a gun violence advocate.
Thursday, she stood side by side with other stakeholders calling for change
"Last year there were more than 640 murders countywide. It hasn’t been that high since the 1980s, 1990s,” said Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg.
“Universal background checks, violence intervention programming, we need to pass these measures into law,” said Giffords Senior Advisor Ryan Busse.
Cannon says her hope is that the memorial puts into perspective the grief a gun falling into the wrong hands can cause.
“To our communities, please stop senseless gun violence,” she said whipping tears.
The memorial will be available for viewing at Discovery Green through 12 p.m. Friday.