On June 23rd, Deonte Whiteside, 17, was lured out of his home, shot and killed.
"June 23rd was the worst day of my life," said Nickey Whiteside-Alston, Deonte's mother.
Just two days after that day, ABC10's Frances Wang met Nickey at a breakfast hosted by Dr. Nicole Clavo. It was a support session for mothers of murdered children.
"I felt so at home at Dr. Clavo's home and so relaxed," Nickey said. "I didn't feel guilty. Didn't feel guilty for cracking a smile at a joke."
Even though Nickey's starting to smile again, what happened the night she lost her only son is still vivid in her mind. It felt like a dream then, because Nickey says she was asleep and her gunshots. However, she assumed they were Fourth of July related.
"Never did I imagine that it was my son being shot outside our house," Nickey said. "I am broken. I don't know how people even continue to carry on. I call out to the [other] mothers [who have lost their children], I write out all the time and I can see they feel so sorry for me. I feel bad for them because they're going through so much of having to do with their own kid then they're trying to comfort me because I'm off and on."
The night after Deonte was shot, a teenage girl was shot at an Elk Grove park. The girl survived, and five people were arrested for attempted murder. One of them is also being charged with murdering Deonte.
Nickey feels that girl is partly responsible for her son's death.
"I believe this young lady is the one who got my son to come out my house," said Nickey.
Sacramento Police confirm that the two shootings are connected but won't say how. They do say, however, that Deonte was lured out of his home after midnight.
Nickey believes her son was trying to meet up with the girl, based off a Snapchat message she later found.
"I'm sorry about what happened with her," said Nickey. "But I think she's just as liable as them."
Deonte's best friend Macy Murphy was shot and killed a month before. His cousin Deston Garrett was shot and killed two weeks before. Nickey says it's clear there's a problem with the youth community and gun violence.
"These are kids with adult minds, [but] no adult supervision," said Nickey. "Nobody to guide them. Nobody to let them know what's right and wrong."