LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Jonathan Postell didn't think driving by his 19-year-old son, Ja'Mare Postell, early morning October 30 would be the last time he'd see him unharmed.
"Every time we see him, we usually stop like, 'Hey, what are you doing?'. But, this time we didn't," said Jonathan.
Authorities found Ja'Mare with multiple gunshot wounds on South 24th Street. It was determined he was "beyond help".
Jonathan said he heard the gunshots and rushed to his son's aid, getting there before police. He found his son a little over 500 feet from their home.
"I'm always going to see this vision in my eyes everyday," said Jonathan. "It took me a while to even get to the point where I could get to sleep. No parent should be like that."
He said he didn't stop his son that morning because he was going in the direction of his friend's house.
"You shouldn't have to be worried about your kid going around to their friend's house to play a video game, and worry about them getting killed," Jonathan said.
Jonathan's eldest son, Ja'Mare is greatly missed in the family.
"He was the hype man of our family," said Jonathan. "Ja'Mare had a smile that lights up any room."
He talked about how Ja'Mare's passing has affected his younger son, just a year younger than Ja'Mare. Jonathan said he's scared to even leave the house.
"There's got to be a stopping point for violent crimes, especially for young kids," said Jonathan.
There's a concern over community investment in the area and activities that keep kids out of trouble.
"A lot of these kids around here, they believe what they see," said a mentor of Ja'Mare's, John McCloud. "They don't see a lot."
Jonathan said the California and Beechmont Community Centers are too far away, and he expressed some people in the neighborhood don't have the money to pay for passes.
"There's nothing in the Russell neighborhood for kids to do other than throwing bricks at abandoned houses, and everybody around here is stealing cars," said Jonathan.
Jonathan believes installing more lighting and cameras would help with the crime problem. He mentioned where his son was shot is an area where there's been a lot of violent crime, including people being shot over a fight that started on a school bus. Jonathan said he's contacted representatives about installing lights and cameras.
"They have installed some already," said Metro Councilman for District 4, Jecorey Arthur. "If anyone feels like there needs to be more somewhere, they need to report it."
Arthur was talking about the work by Anti-Violence Coalitions and the city to install cameras and lights. District 4 is the area where Ja'Mare was shot.
He added if there are areas where people believe more should be installed, they should call 311 to give specific locations.
"It takes capitol and it take resources," said Arthur. "Myself, any other councilmember can always advocate for those resources, but at the end of the day, we need more people to join us in that advocacy...We need more people coming together to fight for the things we want and need in our communities."
A point Jonathan can agree on.
"We've got to invest more into these type of areas," said Jonathan.
He keeps up hope and is looking for ways to move forward with his son in mind.
Ja'Mare's case is still under investigation. Jonathan mentioned investigators provided an update not too long ago. If you have information on this case or any other like it, contact LMPD by calling 574-LMPD (5673) or utilize the online Crime Tip portal at LMPD Crime Tip Portal.
Arthur said he had the Office of Safe and Healthy Neighborhoods create a database of youth resources and organizations. Click this link to look at those.
