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The relatives of a murdered teenager are sending a message to the youth of Regina to end gang violence.
Darian Moise, 16, was found dead on Robinson Street near 6th Avenue at 7 p.m. on Sunday. Regina Police Service are treating his death as a homicide.
On Friday afternoon, a big crowd gathered on that same street to march for peace in his memory. Friends, relatives and neighbours wiped away tears and hugged each other as they listened to an elder speak about ending violence before they have to bury more young people. Many people carried printed photos of Moise and wore stickers with the peace symbol. Others carried a banner with the message ‘Darian’s Walk for Peace’.
Shawn Moise says his nephew was a good kid who didn’t deserve to die.
“We’re doing this walk against violence and gang activity in this neighbourhood,” Shawn Moise said.
Shawn Moise said his nephew lost both of his parents before he turned 16, but he still had a lot of support from other family members and he always treated them with respect.
“He had a girlfriend and a kid,” he said. “He was just a normal kid that played games and loved life and he never was around gangs to get into that kind of lifestyle.”
Nobody will say that Darian Moise was mixed up in gang activity, but many relatives hint that they knew something was wrong. Shawn Moise said before he died, his nephew told him he had been chased by a group in the city.
Eugene Still also remembers his grandson as a loving person who was always laughing. But he had a bad feeling when Darian Moise left his home on Ochapawace First Nation and moved to Regina.
“Since he moved to the city, I always dreaded for the cops to phone home and tell me that they found him,” Eugene Still said.
“I’d just like to forgive the boys that did this to him. I pray for them and I hope they never do it again.”
John Still is Darian Moise’s great uncle. He says on the reserve, Darian Moise also called him ‘mushum’ which is Cree for grandfather. He remembers coaching his nephew’s hockey team.
“I’d just like to forgive the boys that did this to him. I pray for them and I hope they never do it again.” – Eugene Still, Darian Moise’s grandfather.
“He was one year younger than my son so they played on the same team and I’ll always remember Darian trying hard and trying to learn offside and everything,” John Still said with a smile. “I remember when he scored his first goal and he was so happy.”
Darian Moise’s great-uncle was his hockey coach at Ochapawace First Nation. pic.twitter.com/scIHHaLRII
— Adriana Christianson (@AdrianaC_JME) September 18, 2015
John Still was shocked by the news of his murder.
“I started crying and I just couldn’t believe it. I know Regina’s a tough neighbourhood up there, and I know things happen up here and I know things happen to people, but to have it happen to someone that you know and you love, that’s just too much,” John Still said.
John Still commented that when the Creator wants to take someone, He will, but the circumstances are often up to individuals. He doesn’t know what went wrong for Darian Moise to get mixed up in something dangerous.
“I really don’t know, you know,” he said. “If I put myself in his shoes, I guess and I had friends up here, and you kinda play follow the leader sometimes, I guess. And I think maybe that’s what might have happened, I don’t know.”
