LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- For more than 30 years, Judge Derwin Webb has been living with a painful childhood memory.
He was 15 years old, and he learned his friend and died after an accidental shooting.
"There's not a week that goes by that I don't remember what happened that day. I remember going on my way to the gym and seeing this young man on his way over to that friend's house," Webb said. "It's something that has always stuck with me."
And the story gets worse.
"A few years later, that 16-year-old kid that accidentally shot him was killed by someone else," Webb said.
So Webb said violence plaguing the streets of Louisville this year has brought that memory back to the front of his mind, a painful connection to the deadly epidemic that's becoming the talk of the town.
"One of my good friends and I were talking about some of the violence that's been going on in Louisville," he said. "And I said, 'We need to do something about it' and I said, 'Why don't you just come by?'"
What followed was an impromptu public service announcement.
"When I was 15 years old, one of my good friends was accidentally shot and killed by a friend," Webb said in the PSA. "A few years later, that same shooter was accidentally shot and killed by someone else. Today, we have kids killing kids — at random times — intentionally. Louisville, we are better than this. Guns have no names, bullets have no names, but our children do. So, I am asking you to please, please stop the violence."
Webb posted the PSA on Facebook, and it has been shared more than 500 times.
"Originally, it took about five minutes. I just spoke from my heart. We did it in two takes. I had no idea that it would get a buzz like this," he said. "I wanted to say something that was from my heart, and hopefully people will listen and think twice about picking up a gun and shooting someone."
But shortly after posting the video, it happened again. On Friday morning, a 14-year-old boy was shot and killed in what police suspect was an accidental shooting. It brought back painful memories for Webb.
It was a reminder that he can't save everyone.
"I'm just trying to make a difference," he said. "It is heartbreaking to see this continue. I don't know what's going to solve the problem, but I know that if I can do something to help, I am going to do that."
But despite the ongoing violence, he said he won't give up.
"I feel like it was my responsibility to say something, especially for kids that look like me," he said. "We've come too far in this community, in this world, to have us revert back to doing things just like this."
Webb said it's important to make sure young people know the importance of making good decisions.
"A lot of the issues and things that they're facing today, I dealt with and faced, either as an individual or with friends," Webb said.
Webb hopes to continue delivering his message to young people in the classroom and not from the bench.Â
"If it affects one person, that's great," he said. "If it affects more than one person, that's even greater."
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