The overarching affect of gun violence

A look into how communities and families have been affected by gun violence.

The graph above shows the criminal homicide count in Indianapolis from 2017 to 2021. Criminal homicide numbers differ from total homicide numbers by excluding murder in self-defense, shootings by police that have been ruled justified, and accidental homicide.

“He told me ‘Mom, I’m about to change the world,’” Jude said. “That was one week before he was killed. Little did I know he was passing on a message to me, so I have a duty to continue to fight and help the youth.” She is not alone.

Gun violence in Indianapolis has become more prevalent over the past decade. It has infiltrated communities around the city, creating new homicide records in four of the last five years.

Melissa Jude and DeAndra Dycus are two mothers whose lives have changed due to gun violence. These mothers have endured the pain, heartache, and loss that gun violence brings.

Melissa Jude

Melissa Jude’s son Chandler Bussey was murdered in June of 2020 suffering from gun shots to the head just weeks before his 21st birthday.

“Chandler was my first born son,” Jude said. “I had him at twenty, so we kind of grew up together.”

Jude took a moment to reflect on the type of person Chandler was. She highlighted his character, and what kind of person he was towards others and his little brother.

“Everybody loved him. He was the best big brother to his younger brother, Kai,” Jude said. “He was a lot of fun. A lot of pranks, a good friend, an athlete. He went to college on a full athletic scholarship. “

Jude was working overtime at her job as a nurse at Community East Hospittal when she found out about her son’s murder. This message didn’t come from any officers or detectives but through social media.

“He was killed when I was at work,” Jude said. “I was working overtime at the hospital. I received a text from a friend saying, ‘sorry for your loss,' then proceeded to see it all over social media.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09z35p3dUCE

One of Chandler’s longtime friends, Mateo Crawford, was heartbroken seeing the news about his longtime friend flooding his social media timeline.

“I was over a friend’s house and they had hinted at the news but Twitter confirmed the rumors,” Crawford said. “The days after were terrible, I could barely sleep or eat.”

The two met during the spring track season of Crawford’s eighth grade year. Many would say that he and Chandler shared a similar resemblance. Some even wondered whether the two were related.

“Me and Chandler were super close.” Crawford said. “He was basically my brother. Even before I had met him people were asking if I was his little brother. Seeing that we built the bond that we did doesn’t surprise me. That was my boy, for real. Now I have an angel with me.”

Jude was in shock to hear the news about her son. She rushed to the hospital, with her reality becoming more and more clear as she began to walk towards the hospital.

“It didn’t really hit me until I got to the hospital and saw about 100 young people outside of the hospital,” Jude said.

As Jude entered the emergency room, she was intercepted by a security guard and a social worker who gave her the dreadful news.

“I asked to see him and they said unfortunately he’s already gone,” Jude said. “That’s when I really knew it was real. He really was shot and killed and gone forever.”

Jude never imagined burying her son and didn’t know what to do or where to even start. She had a considerable amount of help from her coworkers and some of Chandler’s closest friends.

While love and assistance came pouring in from family and friends, those who routinely work in these situations weren’t as helpful.

“I definitely had a lot of support. As far as support that you receive from detectives, prosecutors, [the] police department, it’s not much. I’m thankful we had family, friends, and my coworkers around.”

Jude specifically recalls a conversation with the coroner regarding her son, describing the experience as “cold.”

“I asked if I could come see him and the coroner told me no because his face was in no shape to be viewed. He’s not identifiable,” Jude said. “The coroner went on to tell me that ‘you have five days to get him out of here because our morgue is full of covid patients and gunshot victims.’”

Jude reflects on one of the last conversations that she had with her son. After his passing, she realized that there was more to take from the conversation than just a normal encounter between a mother and her child, a conversation that still motivates her to this day.

While Jude continues to honor her son's vision of “changing the world,” this work does not come without the continued strain on the family’s mental health. Jude still has to be a mother to her youngest son Kai, who is a freshman in high school and also helps take care of her mother.

“Not only do you lose your child, but when you have other children, you have to find a way to keep going. There is no down time,”Jude told me. “I miss him everyday, he was like my little best friend.”

“All his close friends were there every step of the way… his friends stepped in to do whatever they could,” Jude said. “I couldn’t have gotten through this without them. In a time of such darkness, it was definitely the light.”

DeAndra Dycus

Oftentimes, the families of a victim that has passed from gun violence are the ones that are remembered, but what about the gun violence survivors and their families? DeAndra Dycus is one of those mothers who is reminded daily about the moment that changed her life, and her son’s life, forever.

“A bullet changed everything in my life. Dre is nothing but a miracle,” Dycus said.

Her son Deandre, known as “Dre,” was only 13 years old when he was struck by a stray bullet while attending a birthday party at a friend’s house.. Dre caught a bullet to the back left side of his skull, causing eight strokes at the scene of the shooting. Dre started regurgitating blood, laying on his back, choking. Dre died at the scene. EMS took eleven minutes to get to the scene. Upon arriving, they cut a hole in Dre’s throat to get him breathing again and he was intubated afterwards to resuscitate him.

As a result of his injury, Dre is now a quadriplegic and nonverbal.

“He was a really good kid,” Dycus said. “He was really into sports and academics. He played football and basketball for eight years prior to his injury. He was the kind of kid when he came into the room, he would just light up the room.”

The aftermath of Dre’s injury had not only affected Dre, but those around him. However, the saying “it takes a village” held true for Dycus’ family. Help came from grandmothers, great grandmothers, and even Dre’s younger brother Darius.

“My mother and my grandmother were so amazing,” Dycus told me. “ My grandmother was 75 years-old when Dre was shot. She would stay the night and change his diapers, clean him up, and bathe him so that I could go to work the next morning. “

Every night when Dycus’ mother got off work, she would come and help feed Dre through his gastrostomy tube, which feeds directly into his stomach.

Her son Darius chipped in and helped his mother when it came to taking care of Dre, too.

“Darius was nine when his brother was shot. He would help me get him dressed, roll him over for diaper changes, and feed him,” Dycus said. “It’s changed the essence of both of my children. Dre was Darius’ protector. One thing people need to know on this journey of surviving is we lose in a major way, too.”

Other obstacles that come with it are recurring hospital stays. At the time of the interview, Dre was three weeks out of a two week hospital stay due to issues with a collapsed left lung. This often leads to Dre getting pneumonia since he is unable to move or walk.

The aftermath of such an event weighs heavy on Dycus and her family. Dycus preached that being open along the journey has helped her and other family members grieve openly.

“The mental health struggle has been enormous on my other baby. For me as a mom, you try to remain strong. I try to remain transparent with my younger son because I want him to know that it’s hard for me too.”

Their advocacy

Before the passing of Chandler, Jude was heavily involved in her community with both the youth and the homeless. The passing of her son sparked a newfound motivation for service to her community and attempt to keep kids out the streets. Jude started HowTiredAreYou, Inc., a nonprofit organization geared towards bringing awareness to the gun violence obstacle in Indianapolis. Jude also has become a certified grief educator and helps families who are actively going through the loss of a loved one to gun violence.

“The last form of love I have to show my son is to continue to fight for him. And I continue to fight even though as exhausting as it is, it’s not just about my son anymore. It’s about these hundreds of other families that are going through the same thing.”

Dycus has turned to advocacy as well. In 2015, she started her own nonprofit organization “Purpose For My Pain” and works with national organizations such as Moms Demand Action and Everytown for Gun Safety, two organizations that fight for public safety measures that can protect people from gun violence.

Dycus’ work with these organizations on top of her speaking at events including the Democratic National Convention. The work she has done has led to her collaboration with IMPD this past spring working as program manager for non-fatal advocacy and support. Dycus leads a team which supports and provides resources for non-fatal shooting victims and their families.

These two mothers have a constant reminder of how gun violence affected their families. While one son is gone and another lives on, both still lost their sons the moment that gun was pulled.

“Our kids should be able to go to birthday parties, school, and church without having the risk of losing your life to gun violence,” Dycus said.