Mount Vernon Police Detective Dave Clarke and his family will honor his late brother in a candlelight vigil Thursday night.

Twenty years ago, Devon Clarke was home visiting from college when he was shot and killed in a robbery gone bad. The incident happened on South 11th Avenue.

Detective Clarke says the love shown by his community has helped his family move forward.

"The love from people over the years, it kinda help us..the outpouring of love that has been shown today,” says Clarke.

In memory of Devon, Clarke has vowed to put an end to gun violence, and believes reaching out to young people is the key to stop the violence. "It starts with young people. We have to be more involved with young people and give them other options so that they don't want to go out and pick up a gun,” says Clarke.

Wendie Clarke, the mother of both Devon and Dave, has forgiven the young man who took her son's life, saying in part, “Even if the death penalty..sentencing was in, that's something I would never wish for him."

With the pandemic still brewing, and racial issues - Clarke agrees that 2020 hasn’t been an ideal year for a lot of people. 

To honor those who lost their life to coronavirus, the veteran detective is choosing to incorporate victims who lost their lives to gun violence, as well as those who succumbed to COVID-19.