Mothers Who Lost Sons to Violence Share Their Stories

Yolanda Harrison and Tina Dobbins share their raw, heartbreaking accounts of receiving the calls that changed everything—learning their sons had been shot, rushing to be alongside them, and facing the brutal reality that their children were gone.

Both women describe how this trauma fundamentally changed them, triggering serious health issues and requiring them to forge new identities in the aftermath of loss. "When he died, I died. I had to learn how to be someone else," Harrison explains, detailing her struggle with PTSD and depression despite her background as a healthcare worker.

From the prosecutor's perspective, Chief Deputy Kelli Ward reveals alarming trends in gun violence across Pulaski County, particularly the proliferation of illegal firearms and their deadly modifications. What once might have been a teenage disagreement resulting in minor injuries now escalates to homicide. Crime scenes that previously had four shell casings now regularly have fifty due to modified automatic weapons in the hands of increasingly younger offenders.

The conversation also explores solutions. Both mothers have channeled their grief into community action, founding and participating in organizations that support other grieving families while working to prevent future violence. They emphasize the critical need for early intervention with young people, teaching conflict resolution skills before conflicts turn deadly, and addressing anger management issues that, left untreated, can lead to violence.

This episode is about the true human cost of gun violence and the community-based approaches that offer real hope for breaking cycles of trauma. Together, we can build a future where fewer families experience the devastating grief these mothers continue to navigate daily.