'My baby will never return': Funeral for 18-year-old shooting victim held in Laurel
For the second time this year, on Saturday, the auditorium at Laurel High School filled with people gathering for the funeral of a student.
Eighteen-year-old Kylee Robinson was shot and killed the afternoon of Oct. 29, on the porch of a home in the 500 block of W. Seventh Street in Laurel.
His mother, Danielle Hammond, read a poem she wrote at the service.
"There's no way you should be going away, and those who have harmed you will have justice to pay," she said. "The reality is my baby will never return."
At least a half-dozen police and constables stood guard at the school during the funeral.
Two other male teens, ages 13 and 15, were shot in the incident in which Robinson was killed. One has been treated and released from a hospital, according to Delaware State Police's most recent update, while the other remains hospitalized but stable.
Background: Victim killed in shooting in Laurel Sunday identified as 18-year-old Laurel High student
Two shooters arrived and left on foot, according to police. No suspect information has been provided, nor have any arrests been announced.
Dorcilla Jean-Francois, who said she was family of Robinson's, also spoke at the funeral.
"I'm sick and tired of the gun violence. I'm sick and tired of watching the parents and the children … go through so much pain and agony," Jean-Francois said. "A coward uses weapons to take the life of someone. A coward."
Robinson was the third person shot and killed in Laurel this year. More people have been shot and killed in Laurel this year than any other Sussex County town. Prior to 2023, there had been one homicide in Laurel (a stabbing) over the last five years.
Database: Tracking gun violence in Delaware
This year, on April 14, 18-year-old Corey Mumford was killed outside Wexford Village apartments. He was also a Laurel High School student. Police have said he was not the intended target and three people have been arrested and charged with his murder.
On Sept. 10, 26-year-old Taylor German was shot and killed outside Little Creek apartments. She was in a vehicle with two other people, one of whom was also shot but survived. No arrests have been announced in her case.
From the stage of the Laurel High School auditorium Saturday, Danielle Hammond pleaded with those attending her son's funeral.
"Don't let your mom have to stand up here and be strong for you," she said. "We gotta stop having moms up here, going home and can't take their babies with them."
Shannon Marvel McNaught reports on Sussex County and beyond. Reach her at smcnaught@gannett.com or on Twitter @MarvelMcNaught.
This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Laurel shooting victim, 18-year-old Kylee Robinson, mourned at funeral
