COLUMBIA, SC - The mother of Julian “JuJu” Keel, the 16-year-old rising senior at W.J. Keenan High School who was shot and killed in June while attending a graduation party at a parking lot venue, joined her attorneys today in paising law enforcement while calling out Unum Insurance, Colonial Life and Academy Sports for the shocking negligence that led to her son’s murder in June.
The attorneys, which include former U.S. Attorney Pete Strom and renowned civil rights attorney Bakari Sellers, began by recognizing the Columbia Police Department, CPD Chief W. H. ‘Skip’ Holbrook and Fifth Circuit Solicitor Byron Gipson for their diligence in working with Keel’s family to investigate his murder. Holbrook announced that two people, 20-year-old Tonie Wilson and a 16-year-old juvenile, have been arrested and charged with Keel’s murder.
Still, the attorneys quickly turned to call out property owners, Unum and Colonial Life, who they say knew that the property where Keel was murdered had become a hotspot for violence yet they continued to rent it for events without implementing any safety precautions. That failure, they said, ot only cost the 16-year-old Keel his life, but continues to put lives at risk across South Carolina and the nation.
“What has to stop is people paying $100 or $200 to have these big parties with absolutely no security and these large businesses and corporations turn a blind eye so they can continue to reap the benefits,” Sellers said announcing that they are pursuing a civil action against Unum and Colonial Life and against the venue that was having that event that night. “There were a number of calls to that location before and nothing has ever changed in terms of the way they secure those premises. We say that stops today."
Strom went a step further in calling out Academy Sports whose failure to secure dangerous ammunition is a major driver in the gun violence crisis in Columbia.
“We’re talking about 300 Blackout bullets,” Strom said. “This is high-powered, assault rifle ammunition that they’re selling there and they just have the bullets out where somebody can just come by, put them in their pockets and we see kids dead and the casings on the ground.”
Keel’s mother, well-known TV/radio personality and DJ, Vonyetta Watson, also announced her commitment and mission mission to addressing the rising epidemic of youth gun violence with new ventures including an endowed scholarship fund at the University of South Florida’s College of Engineering and “Ju'stice,” a new nonprofit organized to provide grief support to families of murdered children as well as work to end youth gun violence.
“Our goal with Ju'stice is to honor Julian’s memory by fighting for solutions to end gun violence among youth,” said Watson. “Through mentorship, sports, and community outreach, we believe we can help children stay safe, find their purpose, and prevent other families from suffering the same pain we’ve endured.”
Click HERE for a copy of the announcement and to learn more about Ju'stice.
