VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — A grieving mother is sharing her heartbreak after losing her youngest son to gun violence just days ago.
Adrian Archer, 26, was killed in a triple shooting on New Colony Drive near StoneyBrook Park in the Kempsville area of Virginia Beach. It happened just before 10 p.m. on Thursday, police reported.
Police on Tuesday also identified another victim who was killed as Justin Varney, 19.
The only surviving victim of the shooting, an 18-year-old man, is still in a hospital ICU but expected to survive and recover, according to a Virginia Beach Police Department spokesperson.
Detectives are still trying to piece together the moments and circumstances leading up to the gunfire. They also have not yet closed in on a suspect or suspects.
“This is a devastating blow. I would have never ever thought something like this would happen to one of mine. I would never want this to happen to my worst enemy,” the mother of Adrian Archer said, who preferred to not provide her name.
She told 13News Now she will remember her youngest son as an always upbeat and giving person.
“Everybody he could, he helped,” Archer’s mother said.
She told 13News Now family and friends gathered for a vigil this past Monday, the day of his 27th birthday. He would have been a father just months from now.
"She's due in July. His son will never see him, ever in his life,” Archer’s mother said, who also called for an end to gun violence.
“It makes me shake in my boots, at the fact that my son is no longer here. He will never see his son, nor his family members, his aunts, his uncles."
In the search for answers, she holds onto her faith to find some peace and comfort.
"I'm looking for some kind of justice. Even with that, that's not going to bring my son back,” she said.
Money is being raised through a GoFundMe page for Archer's funeral.
Again, detectives are still looking for a suspect or suspects in connection to the triple shooting. It remains an ongoing investigation.
Neighbors previously recalled to 13News Now hearing shots, crying and seeing at least two people run away before police officers arrived on scene Thursday night.
Moreover, Archer’s mother acknowledged the pain of the injured victim’s family and Varney’s family.
"That family there is going through it also. You've got three lives involved with this, three families and the friends and the cousins,” she said.
If you know anything that can help investigators solve this case, call 1-888-LOCK-U-UP. You do not have to give your name or testify in court.
Tipsters could be eligible for a cash reward of up to $1,500.