Breathing heavily and filled with emotion, the heartbroken mother of JahVai Roy says she is feeling “indescribable” pain after losing her youngest child to gun violence.
JahVai died on Aug. 16 after being struck by a stray bullet in his North York home while in bed next to his mom. The shooter or shooters are still outstanding and police have not released any descriptive details about them at this time.
A traditional funeral service and burial took place on Manitoulin Island on Wednesday.
During a brief interview outside her apartment building prior to a community vigil for her son, Holly Roy told CTV News Toronto she’s still very much in disbelief following the tragedy that has struck her family.
“It doesn’t feel real. I know it’s real but I’m still trying to wrap my mind around what the rest of my life is going to look like,” she said.
“But I have so much gratitude for all the support from the city, from my community, my family, and my friends. I’m very surrounded by love right now so it’s keeping me present. I’m here and I need to be the voice for my little guy.”
Roy previously said she wants JahVai’s name to be a “beacon,” reiterating that she doesn’t want anyone to forget it.
“He was such sweet energy. He was so good. He really advocated for violence prevention, you know, and I’m trying to wrap my mind around this,” she said late Thursday afternoon.
Roy said she’s long advocated for violence prevention, adding that her own family has been personally touched by it.
“For years, (JahVai’s) witnessed a lot of trauma in his little life. His brother is a survivor of gun violence. His sister’s been threatened by gun violence,” she shared.
“He’s just always been uplifting, you know, like trying to bring the good energy in our home and, like, you know, make everything okay.”
Roy said her son was an adventurous kid who was loved by many. She said his love language was “loud.”
“He was very full of love. You know, he’s very comforting. He’s very comforting,” she said, sharing how her son loved animals, especially snakes.
Roy said her favourite memory of JahVai is when they were up on the Wikwemikong Reserve on Manitoulin Island, where’s she from, and he snuck a frog and a snake into her sister’s house.
“He’s just always been very active, very energetic,” she smiled.
JahVai, she said, was most at home up on the reserve, calling it “his sanctuary, his space.”
“He cried every time he had to come back to the city. He was free. You know, he wanted to be free if we were in the city,” Roy said, remembering JahVai as a fearless kid who would always be seen climbing a tree.
Aside from being a free-spirited boy, JahVai was also an anti-violence advocate, his mom said.
Two years ago, he’d been featured in an anti-bullying video created by the One by One Movement in which he urged people to “be nice.”
“(JahVai) was the youngest member of the One by One Movement. They’ve been very supportive of my family. … It’s unfortunate that we’re here now, like, you know, that’s what he wanted to do. He just wanted to bring people together. It shouldn’t have happened to him.”
Roy went on to say that she shouldn’t be here now grieving the death of her young boy to gun violence.
“I’ve been through this and I’m still trying to wrap my mind around (it) because I’ve been in community, advocating against gun violence, community violence. I’ve been giving resources, you know, I’ve been living this, and to have my baby taken from me so violently, I can’t get my mind around it,” she said.
JahVai’s mother said she’s found some comfort in the deep connections she has to her Indigenous culture and believes that her son’s spirit will always remain with her and take care of her. She also said that she has two other children who need their mother.
“We need to come together. We need to make a change. This shouldn’t happen to anybody,” Roy said, vowing to make a big change in her son’s honour.
Community vigil held for JahVai in North York
A moving vigil for JahVai was held late Thursday afternoon outside the family’s home on Martha Eaton Way, near Trethewey Drive.
The gathering was put together by 20-year-old community organizer Tenzin Urgyen with the support of JahVai’s family and opened with an Indigenous prayer by the boy’s grandmother, Vivienne Roy.
“Creator I ask you to help us today, to help us walk in a good way, and for all the men and women who are standing here today, help them as well to walk in a good way, to hear things in a good way, Creator, and to speak of good words, Creator, we ask of you today,” she prayed.
In her tearful remarks, JahVai’s mom, Holly, thanked all for coming to show their support, saying that their presence is “lifting her spirit” and keeping her present.
“I feel the love and support and I thank everybody for reaching out,” she said.
Roy spoke about the strong bond she had with her son and how he always took care of her, looking after her every need.
She shared that JahVai’s last moments on this earth were spent cuddling and snuggling with her, something that they both loved to do together.
“I’m trying so hard to hang on to the memory of that morning my son’s life was taken and not the moments leading up to his death,” she said.
“I don’t want his memory to be tragic. I want his memory to be good, because he was a really good little soul, way beyond his time.”
Several officials spoke during the vigil, including Mayor Olivia Chow, who called JahVai a happy, kind, and loving kid, urging everyone to be inspired by those qualities “to do more, to do better.”
“Because we know we are stronger together,” she said, pressing for a crackdown on illegal American guns “flooding our streets.”
“Let this anger give us the hope that we know we can make the change.”
Family friend Aisha Martin, who lost her spouse Brandan Brooks to gun violence just three years ago, remembered JahVai as sweet and loving little guy.
“His smile was so big and beautiful. He loved to have fun. He was entertaining he loved to be stylish. He loved his sneakers. He never wanted to be left out of anything the big kids were doing,” she said.
“He was never afraid to speak his mind. He was brave and adventurous.”
Martin said the tragic loss that she and Roy have experienced could happen to anyone there.
At the conclusion of the gathering, all in attendance paused for a moment of silence before forming a circle as they chanted together “Justice for JahVai” along with the boy’s name.
On Friday from 10 a.m. to noon, a rally against gun violence will be held at Toronto City Hall at 100 Queen St. W.
A community town hall on gun violence in Youth South-Weston is also set to take place in September with Toronto police Chief Myron Demkiw.
