In the past, Martin Collins celebrated his son Marsiah’s birthday on Sept. 21 with ice cream and friends telling stories about him.
Now Martin Collins often thinks about the birthdays his son will miss.
In April, Marsiah Collins was one of four young people killed in a mass shooting at a Sweet 16 party in Dadeville, Alabama.
He would have turned 20 last month. His father thinks about the landmark birthdays he’ll miss.
“Twenty-one, you’re old enough to drink liquor, to do this, you have those kinds of milestones in your life,” Martin Collins said in a recent interview. “You turned 21. I turned 21. So certain things that are like markers in society, and you think about the fact that your son will never be able to experience those.”