By Howard Packowitz

BLOOMINGTON – The mother of Bloomington murder victim Trevonte Kirkwood is urging police to keep looking for her son’s killer.

“I need to see what true evil looks like, and the person who took my son, that’s what it is,” Dameca Kirkwood said.

“I want to look true evil in the eye.”

Mrs. Kirkwood said the unthinkable happened October 30 when her son, who was 27, was shot to death in the 1300 block of North Oak Street, on Bloomington’s near west side.

Mrs. Kirkwood said her son was not a drug dealer or gang member, but was a very good father.

Mrs. Kirkwood has surprised herself how strong she’s been since losing her father to cancer October 2 and her son 28 days later.

“People ask me, ‘how do you get up every day and go on?’ I try to be the best mom that I could, and now that he’s not here, I still can’t stop still being a mom,” Mrs. Kirkwood said.

“I’m a little bit more paranoid about life, but with that, it made me stronger,” she added.

Trevonte Kirkwood was one of nine people shot to death in Bloomington last year, and it’s the only unsolved case.

Mrs. Kirkwood said she believes Bloomington Police are diligently working to find out who killed her son.

“It’s harder for me as a mom to start my healing process knowing that individual who has done this is still out here on the streets, because there’s no explanation why my son was murdered,” Mrs. Kirkwood said.

She made her comments Friday evening after speaking in Downtown Bloomington at a March For Our Lives rally against gun violence.

Kirkwood called on families to return to the basics by talking, eating meals together, and teaching kids morals.

Howard Packowitz can be reached at [email protected]