NORFOLK, Va. — A well-known, anti-crime activist laid his son to rest on Monday, a week and a half after someone shot and killed him.
Ali Muhammad’s funeral took place in Norfolk’s south side. He’s the son of Bilal Muhammad who fights against the very thing that claimed his son’s life.
Mourners who attended the funeral said because Bilal Muhammad was there for their families when they needed him, they wanted to be there for him now that the shoe is on the other foot.
Several community advocates came out to support the family, like Freddie Taylor Sr. of Portsmouth's Stop The Violence 757.
“No one’s exempt. It’s prevalent in every community and it could hit anybody’s home at any time," Taylor said. “We stand together, through the good and the bad. He’s [Bilal] been out here in the community for 30-plus years. So it only makes it right for us to come and support, because he always supports everyone."
Clay Marquez of Norfolk’s Guns Down - Stop The Violence also attended the funeral.
“If the shoe was on the other foot, he’d definitely be there for me," Marquez said. “He’s [Bilal] my brother. He’s my brother in faith and he’s my brother in the street. We’re like comrades out here. We just have to be there for each other because if the shoe was on the other foot, he’d definitely be there for me.”
Loved ones of the Muhammad family say it’s hard to put into words the impact Bilal has had on the community.
He's worked as an anti-gun violence advocate for decades and has supported many families who lost loved ones to crime, like Chesapeake mother Rebecca Wilson.
“My son, Maurice Wilson’s life was taken by gun violence, and Bilal and his family – the Muhammads – they have just been there for us every step of the way," Wilson said. “I just want to come out and support and show a little bit of love, what I could, from one grieving parent to another.”
Community members say the ties Bilal Muhammad has made with neighbors and fellow activists are strong.
“The night that it happened, he called me. It just happened. I was sitting on the porch with the dog, he called me and said his son had got killed," said James Washington Jr.
Today, mourners remembered Ali Muhammad as a life gone too soon. According to his family, Ali leaves behind three young daughters.
“He was a great father, he was a family man, he loved his family," Washington said.
Bilal said losing his son is hard, but his work continues.
“It hurts. But I got back up," Muhammad said. "I got knocked down, three minutes into the round, but I’m still standing, and I plan on winning the fight.”
Police are still searching for the person responsible for the shooting that killed Ali Muhammad. If you know anything, you’re asked to contact Norfolk police.