'I wanted to see him become a man:' Father grieves on Chickasaw Park shooting anniversary
David Huff, Jr. loved sports, especially football, and started playing as a child. He was a “dresser,” said his father, David Huff, Sr., and liked expensive shoes. When David Huff Jr.’s grandmother would practice her liturgical dances, he was right there, dancing alongside her.
Huff had all kinds of ideas for what he wanted to do after graduating high school — from joining the Navy to going to college to traveling abroad for a while.
One year ago, the 17-year-old died in a mass shooting in Louisville's Chickasaw Park.
"I wanted to see him become a man," David Huff, Sr. said of his only child. "I think that's the most devastating thing that I go through."
Around 9 p.m., April 15, 2023, shots rang throughout the park, where officials said hundreds of people were. David Huff Jr. and another person, Deaji Goodman, died. Four others were injured.
The case has not been solved.
“The families of these victims deserve answers,” said Mayor Craig Greenberg. “They deserve closure. And that is something that everyone in our community has an opportunity to help with.”
Chief of Police Jacqueline Gwinn-Villaroel directed a statement directly at the people responsible for the shooting, imploring them to turn themselves in.
“I'm actually pleading for the suspects in this case — please come forward,” Gwinn-Villaroel said. “Give even yourself the peace that you need and make the situation right.”
Following the shooting, the city installed LED lights in the park aiming to increase safety.
Greenberg also called on people to support universal pre-K, join LMPD and support organizations like the ACE Project, which helps children and families who have been affected by gun violence. The group's founder, Rose Smith, lost her son to gun violence.
She said loved ones of shooting victims serve a "life sentence" of living without their loved ones.
"I got life. (I'm) sorry to say, he's got life," said Smith, looking at David Huff, Sr. "All who's lost loved ones, we're doing life."
Greenberg asked anyone with information about the crime to call the Louisville Police Department’s anonymous tipline at (502) 574-LMPD or Kentuckiana Crimestoppers at (502) 582-CLUE.
Reach reporter Eleanor McCrary at EMcCrary@courier-journal.com or at @ellie_mccrary on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: One year after Chickasaw Park shooting, loved ones wait for answers
