Man killed tied to Stop the Violence

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - A heartbroken family is remembering the life of a Buffalo murder victim, including a man who has spent years trying to stop the violence that claimed his father-in-law's life.

Nona Holman, daughter of victim, said, "They didn't shoot just anybody. They shot a man that bothered nobody."

Nona Holman's dad was 60-years-old. Joseph Washington was talking with friends behind a gas station at Main and Glenwood last Saturday evening when he was shot to death.

"I don't think they were targeting any specific person, and the motive that I heard was just teenagers that was some type of gang initiation or something and they were randomly shooting into that crowd and didn't care who they hit. Just to fit into the gang and fit in ya know," said Holman.

Who they hit is a grandfather to 27 people. The sad irony of it all is that Nona and her husband Murray head up the Stop the Violence coalition.

This bus is their family van and Murray for years has tried to mentor Buffalo teens to stay away from the same kind of street violence that just killed his father-in-law. Last Saturday, Murray got the news just hours before he would've used this van to escort Randy Sargent, who is walking to Washington D.C. on a mission to stop violence.

Murray Holman said, "And he would see the bus go by and say, "That's my son driving the bus." He would actually tell his friends, "You don't believe me? I told you that's my son driving that bus!""

"It's about us coming out together, I mean you don't always have to march on City Hall, you just have to march out your door and say enough is enough, we're not taking anymore," said Holman.

Watch News 4 at 10 and 11. The family wants us to show some disturbing photos of their dad as he fought for life, in the hopes that it convinces witnesses to step forward and help solve this murder.