One year after her son was shot, Toronto mother fights gun violence

A year ago, Holly Roy was lying in bed with her eight-year-old son, Jahvai, in their North York apartment when gunshots rang out after midnight on August 16, 2025. Jahvai sat up in bed and was struck by a stray bullet. He was rushed to hospital and pronounced dead.

On Monday, Roy visited her son's resting place on Manitoulin Island for the first time since he was buried. She described the visit as making his death feel real after months of what she called "floating."

"Not only did I lose my son, but I also lost a sense of who I am as a person," Roy said. She is Anishinaabe, Ojibwe First Nation.

Three youths have been charged with first-degree murder in connection with Jahvai's death. Police charged them in the months following the shooting.

Roy's advocacy against gun violence has roots deeper than this tragedy. Her oldest son survived a shooting in 2019, an experience that left her searching for resources to help him navigate trauma. That search led her to grassroots groups and organizations like the One by One Movement and the Zero Gun Violence Movement through social media.

Since losing Jahvai, she has continued speaking publicly about the toll gun violence takes on families and communities. She remembers her youngest son's compassion—he watched his brother struggle with trauma from the earlier shooting and wanted to help him heal.

"I'm just trying to walk in love and light, and carry my son with me," Roy said.