Anti-gun activist fatally shoots man at party as revenge for son’s death

August 14, 2024 Sharon Banks

An anti-gun violence advocate Lumumba Sayers Sr., 46, has been charged with first-degree murder and felony menacing after allegedly shooting and killing a man at a child’s pool party in Commerce, Colorado.

The incident, which occurred on August 10, is believed to be an act of retaliation for the murder of Sayers’ 23-year-old son, Lumumba Sayers Jr., a year earlier.

According to an arrest affidavit, Sayers Sr. walked up to 28-year-old Malcolm Watson and shot him in the head at close range. Watson, who was hosting the party for his 5-year-old son, was shot three times and pronounced dead at the scene.

The affidavit suggests that the shooting may have been motivated by the murder of Sayers Jr., who was fatally shot on August 19, 2023, in Denver’s Five Points neighborhood.

Sayers Jr., was a father of a two-month-old son at the time of his death. Witnesses indicated that Sayers Sr. might have believed Watson was connected to the individual responsible for his son’s murder, although Watson’s sister insists that her brother had no involvement in the crime.

“How is it a revenge killing if my brother isn’t the one who had anything to do with it?” Watson’s sister said, questioning the motives behind the shooting.

Watson was associated with Tyrell Braxton, the man initially arrested and charged in connection with Sayers Jr.’s murder. However, Braxton’s case was later dismissed, and he now faces a federal charge of illegal possession of ammunition.

Colorado law seals case records when they are dismissed, so details about Braxton’s relationship with Watson remain unclear.

Sayers Sr., who founded the Heavy Hands Heavy Hearts boxing gym in Aurora, was a prominent community leader and advocate against gun violence. He also operated the “Gloves Up Guns Down” movement, which his son founded to deter young people from violence through structured training and mentorship. Sayers Jr. played a significant role in these efforts, leading programs that helped keep kids off the streets.

In the wake of his son’s death, Sayers Sr. expressed deep grief and frustration, noting that his son was killed in the very community he had worked to protect. “This coward shot my son. The community that we protect, you know, we try to provide for, the community that he tried to help guide in a different direction that he grew up in, they killed my son,” he said.

Topazz McBride, owner of the Aurora resource center Rediscovery Through Wellness, remarked that Sayers Sr. had been “in a dark place” since his son’s death.

She emphasized the need for ongoing support for individuals dealing with such profound grief, noting that Sayers Sr. had grieved differently due to his deep involvement in the community and his efforts to help other families affected by gun violence.

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Sayers Sr. is scheduled to appear in court on August 15, but he is currently being held at the Adams County Detention Facility on a $1 million bond.