LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WHAS11) -- For Derrick Miller, the news Friday night was a familiar one, but carried the sting just as deep as the other times - his cousin, Ron Stephenson, was dead.
"He was a funny guy, always smiled," he said. "Like I said, he didn't bother no one, not that I know of."
Ron Stephenson was found shot in the 5300-block of Halsey Court Friday evening. He was taken to the hospital where police said he died. Miller said Stephenson's murder is just the latest one in his family - with Stephenson's being the ninth so far in Louisville over the past two decades.
"His dad got murdered and it's just a struggle for our family that when you hear about shootings and stuff like that, first thing we do is call one of our family members and try to figure out, see where everybody at," he said.
While thoughts of revenge have arose over the years, Miller said he has traded the guns for hoops. He has been using basketball to help reach young children through his basketball camp, Who's Next, teaching the children about promoting peace instead of vengeance and violence.
"Why do that and then on the other side, another family going to be suffering," he said. "It's not about that. It's not going to bring my people back. Never."
Miller has also been helping other families in mourning, most recently helping out the family of 7-year-old Dequante Hobbs Jr., who was killed two weeks earlier by a bullet that struck him while he was sitting in his home. Miller has been working with Hobbs's mother, Micheshia Norment, promising to help her with the celebration of Hobbs's life on June 8th. This Saturday, it was Norment's turn to comfort Miller.
"I struggle every day on it daily, but I know God has my back and has my front," he said.
Miller's faith in God gets him through a life of hurt and heartache, but Miller said more has to be done from the community to end the violence.
"I heard the governor say the other day we got to pray," he said. "Believe me, we pray every day, every second."