Every day Shawn Venson comes home from work and lights a candle next to a photograph of his son, Daryl.
Daryl was killed March 9, when he was shot outside of a convenience store on Root Avenue in Ansonia. He was 25 years old.
His death has left a void for his father.
“I can’t even explain the feeling,” Venson said.
“But I’ve got to deal with it.”
Five months after his death, Venson’s family is planning a march to remember him and raise awareness for his unsolved murder.
At 5 p.m. on Saturday Aug. 13, the family will gather at the convenience store where Daryl was shot, and walk down the hill toward Ansonia downtown.
Anyone who wants to participate is invited to attend, Venson said.
The march will end on Main Street in front of Ansonia City Hall, where family members and friends plan to speak about Venson and his death.
Hot dogs and soda will be served by Millie’s Lunch, Venson said.
Venson said he has been talking with Mayor James Della Volpe about the march, and they plan to close off a portion of Main Street to allow people to stand in front of City Hall.
A message seeking comment was left with Della Volpe.
The Shooting
On March 9, at about 7:20 p.m. Ansonia police said they received several 911 calls reporting shots fired near Hill Street and Root Avenue.
Responding officers found Venson on the sidewalk. He had been shot in the back, his father said.
Police said they are still actively investigating the shooting. No arrests have been made.
“They’re doing what they can, as far as I know,” Venson said.
A week later, another 25-year-old Ansonia man was shot and killed at a gas station on Wakelee Avenue. Police do not believe the two murders are connected. No arrests have been made in either case.
“Every kid should be able to live longer than 25 years old,” Venson said. “What happened to my son and the other kid was senseless.”
Venson said the march isn’t about calling out officials while the family waits for the crime to be solved.
“I’m not going to blame anyone for what happened to my son,” Venson said. “I’m not going to go downtown and act like it’s everybody’s fault.”
It’s about awareness and community togetherness, he said.
“It’s just to let our community be aware, to show some unity around here,” Venson said. “Just so people can see we do care about him. We care about the community. And we want to find out what happened. And we don’t want it to happen again in this community.”
