BATON ROUGE – Cathy Toliver, a well-known activist against gun violence and the grandmother of a little boy killed by a stray bullet, is calling the city to join her for prayer tomorrow night (Dec. 3rd) after another round of bullets claimed the life of another innocent child, Diellon Daniels.
An ordinary outing turned into a nightmare when stray bullets ended the life of 8-year-old Diellon Daniels as his mother, Courtlyn Daniels, was driving five of her children to get haircuts ahead of Thanksgiving.
MORE FROM UWK: Baton Rouge: Three young boys shot in drive-by shooting | One has since died
The shooting happened around 2:15 p.m. on Swan Avenue. Diellon Daniels was one of three children injured when bullets tore into the family’s car. His mother, in her final days of pregnancy, was behind the wheel, trying to protect her children while navigating the chaos. The next morning, in the midst of her anguish, Courtlyn gave birth to her eighth child.
A mother’s unimaginable pain
Courtlyn Daniels shared her grief in raw, heart-wrenching posts on social media.
“I’m HURT. How can someone so evil take my child from me? ? My babiessss… This is the worst feeling ever,” she wrote. “My chain has broken. My kids were ALWAYS together. Y’all wrong for doing this to me. I promise mommy will get justice for you, Diellon. BELIEVE THAT.”
Her words laid bare the torment of a mother who gave everything to keep her children safe but found herself powerless against the pervasive violence in her city.
“I miss you, son. I love you sooooo much. The love I have for you, I wish it could have saved you,” she wrote. “Mommy really tried as much to keep you alive. I hate that my chain was broken.”
Support Courtlyn: A GoFundMe for their family
A call to prayer and action in honor of Diellon Daniels
Cathy Toliver, a familiar face in the capital city, was among the first to extend her voice to the grieving Daniels family. A veteran of tragedy herself, Toliver lost her grandson, Devon Page, in 2022 to a similar act of senseless violence.
“I know this pain all too well,” Toliver said, her voice heavy with emotion. “My heart went out to that family immediately. It was a mirror of my own loss.”
Toliver said she watched the news stories roll in detailing the events of the day in complete horror about Diellon Daniels.
“I’ve been on a mission to do everything that I possibly can to stop people from feeling this type of pain due to gun violence. When I saw that, I was just very angry, and then I relived everything my daughter and I experienced with my grand baby when someone blew his brains out,” she said passionately in a somber tone. Tolliver spoke to UWK about her loss earlier this year in a podcast.
Toliver is organizing a community prayer vigil at the corner of Swan Avenue and Scenic Highway, where the tragedy unfolded. “We have to reclaim our city,” she demanded. She believes prayer is the first step toward reclaiming the streets of Baton Rouge.
“I will be there, even if I have to stand alone,” Toliver said passionately. “We need the community, the leaders we voted in, everyone to come out. We must pray and take back our streets.”
Support Courtlyn: A GoFundMe for their family
A city in crisis
Baton Rouge has seen an alarming rise in gun violence over recent years. According to the EBR Coroner, in 2023 alone, the city recorded just over 100 homicides, a grim statistic yet a staggering improvement from 2022, which ended with 135 homicides.
In a report done by UWK earlier this year, Broome, along with Baton Rouge Police Chief TJ Morse, addressed the surge in violence in the beginning of the year. They asserted that contrary to public perception, crime is not spiraling out of control. They emphasize that it is primarily attributed to retaliatory actions among certain groups.
“I want the public to know that what we’ve been experiencing in regards to shootings in our city have mostly been very personable, highly-targeted incidents,” Morse said. “Again, the vast majority of the shootings have not been random in nature.”
Police say this latest shooting was also a targeted attack.
MORE FROM UWK: Baton Rouge’s murder triangle: An inside look at the deadliest area of the Capital City
The cost of silence
Toliver’s plea is aimed at everyone in the city from the top to the bottom. In her Facebook video, she calls for political leaders to take a stand by joining her in prayer.
“I need the political leaders to come out. We voted you in, we need you out here now,” she exclaimed. She said police officers will be present at the prayer tomorrow night and she has the support of the BRPD police chief.
“People think it won’t happen to them,” Toliver said emphatically. “That’s why I’m constantly screaming at the top of my lungs—it can happen to you. You don’t have to be a bad person. Stray bullets don’t discriminate.”
Her message to Courtlyn Daniels was one of motherly love, empathy, solidarity and faith:
“To that precious mother, I want you to know that God is with you, whether you feel Him or not. His loving arms will cover you. I just wish for the moment I can meet you, put my arms around you, and embrace your children. You are not alone,” she continued. “If I had the opportunity to speak to the mother, that is exactly what I would tell her. She’s not alone. She is not alone. God is still with her.”
A community’s response
As the Daniels family begins the arduous process of mourning and healing, Toliver and others are determined to ensure that the death of Diellon Daniels does not fade into another statistic.
“We’re trying to prevent other people from feeling this pain,” Toliver said. “This isn’t something you want to feel. It changes you forever.”
The prayer vigil is scheduled for tomorrow night at 5:30 p.m., and Toliver is hopeful it will serve as a turning point for Baton Rouge—a moment when a grieving community decides enough is enough.
For those looking to support the Daniels family during this time, contributions can be made through their GoFundMe page.
In the words of Cathy Toliver: “If we don’t act now, who will? Let’s come together and make a difference—because every child’s life matters.”
Support Courtlyn: A GoFundMe for their family
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