Best of Show - Liz Moughon / Ohio University2017 Best of Show - Liz Moughon/Ohio UniversityMicheshia Norment (left) holds onto friend Christopher 2X as she prepares to release balloons into the sky in memorial of her son, Dequante Hobbs Jr., 7, who was shot by a stray bullet through their kitchen window in the west end of Louisville, KY. Dequante was eating first grade graduation cake when he was accidentally shot by neighbors who were fighting.
Best of Show - Liz Moughon / Ohio UniversityMicheshia tattooed her arm with her son's face and reminds the Louisville community of her loss by diligently painting her car windows in memory of him.
Best of Show - Liz Moughon / Ohio UniversityPallbearers wore superhero shirts and "Lil DQ" gloves in honor of Dequante at his funeral.
Best of Show - Liz Moughon / Ohio University"When I go in that house it's evil," Micheshia says as she packs up her old house where Dequante was shot. "I feel it should be nobody else moving in that house. It's a danger hazard, especially if a person has children."
Best of Show - Liz Moughon / Ohio UniversityMicheshia sips a drink in Master P's bus on the way to his concert in New Orleans, LA. A photo of Dequante was displayed for thousands to see while Master P sang "I Miss My Homies."
Best of Show - Liz Moughon / Ohio UniversityZanique Norment, 3, Micheshia's only other child, wraps her arm around her mother's leg at a family barbecue. "What do you tell to a three-year-old that's been with her brother for three years?" Micheshia says. "He's gone to another life. We may not see him, but he sees us. That's the only way I can explain it to my daughter." After Dequante was killed, Micheshia considered suicide but decided to fight for her daughter instead, knowing that's what Dequante would want.
Best of Show - Liz Moughon / Ohio UniversityMicheshia rests on her mother, Priscilla's, lap. Family is still Micheshia's life blood.
Best of Show - Liz Moughon / Ohio UniversityMicheshia visits Dequante's grave but hasn't raised enough money for a headstone yet. "I like to talk to my son face to face. Talking to a ground aint my thing but I don't have a choice." Several other family members who are buried in this cemetery met their fate under similar circumstances.
Best of Show - Liz Moughon / Ohio UniversityIn Micheshia's new home she plays with Dequante's old bike and scooter. Her new home is in a much safer area of Louisville even though it's only 10 minutes away from the west end.
Best of Show - Liz Moughon / Ohio UniversityOver a month after Dequante's funeral, deflated Paw Patrol balloons blow into the street after barely holding onto his front porch rail. These were his favorite cartoon characters.
Best of Show - Liz Moughon / Ohio University"Hearing the water, the waves, come up was so relaxing," Micheshia says, soaking in an opportunity to decompress at the beach for her first time.
Best of Show - Liz Moughon / Ohio UniversityMicheshia hugs her cousin, Neca Jones.
