Cleveland mother calls for answers on 4-year anniversary of son’s unsolved murder

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - Friday marks four years since Michelle Bell’s son Andre Brown was shot and killed in Cleveland’s Collinwood neighborhood.

Brown and a friend were sitting in a car when both were murdered. On this anniversary, Bell still does not know who pulled the trigger.

“I’m fueled and driven to find out,” Bell said. “To keep asking questions, to keep doing the work that can hopefully curtail and eventually eliminate this gun violence.”

Bell never imagined her life’s purpose would be ending gun violence.

She founded the group More Prayer, Activity & Conversation with a mission to not let any other parent feel the pain she does.

“We have to work together to bring these people to justice,” Bell said. “There’s so many cases, it’s unfortunate that we don’t have people paying the price or being punished for what they have done and taking another life.”

On Friday, Bell prayed and reflected on others who have lost loved ones to the same fate by attending a vigil at Family Life Center in Chagrin Falls.

Bell said it will take the entire community coming together to help end this violence.

“The reality is the work in this field of crime and gun violence totally outweighs the number of folks they have to work it,” Bell said.

Despite her heartache, Bell said she forgives her son’s killer. She knows Andre is still with her through this fight to save lives.

“If he was here he’d say, ‘Ma keep going. You can do it. If anybody can do it, I know my mother can,’” Bell said.

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