When Crenatica Zollicoffer talks about her son, she doesn’t start with the day he died.
She starts with SpongeBob.
She remembers a little boy who loved Baby Shark, playing outside and making people laugh. A little boy whose smile could light up a room and whose personality seemed far bigger than his tiny frame.
“He was my ray of sunshine,” Zollicoffer said.
Family members called him Junior. His full name was Brandon Owens Jr., and he was just 22 months old when his life was cut short.
Nearly five years later, his mother still finds comfort in the memories.
She remembers how smart he was for his age. She remembers the special bond he shared with his grandmother. She remembers the energy he brought into every room and the way everyone seemed to gravitate toward him.
“He had such a personality,” she said. “Everybody loved him.”
Those memories are why Zollicoffer has decided to share one of the most painful chapters of her life publicly.
She hopes that by telling Junior’s story, another family will never have to live through what hers has.
On Oct. 25, 2021, Junior was fatally shot inside the family’s Canton home after another young child found an unsecured handgun that had been hidden between a mattress and box spring.
Canton police responded to a home in the 1600 block of Royal Avenue NE shortly after 5:30 p.m. Officers found Junior suffering from a gunshot wound. He was taken to a hospital, where he later died.
Investigators determined that Junior and the boyfriend’s 2-year-old child had found the firearm before it discharged.
For Zollicoffer, the details of that evening remain vivid.
“I knew it was a gunshot,” she said.
She had been downstairs when she heard the sound.
“When I heard it, I just knew.”
What followed was panic.
She ran upstairs searching for her son, screaming for help as she desperately tried to find him.
“Everything happened so fast,” she said.
The tragedy forever changed the life of a young mother who believed she was doing what was necessary to keep her family safe.
At the time, Zollicoffer was 21 years old and had recently left an abusive relationship. She said she purchased the firearm after receiving threats and fearing for her safety.
“I bought it because I thought I was protecting my children,” she said.
The handgun had been in the home for only a few months.
Looking back, she said she lacked the education and understanding of firearm safety that she has today.
“I was young and naïve,” she said. “I didn’t have the education that I have now.”
Following the shooting, Zollicoffer was charged and convicted of endangering children, a felony offense that also made her ineligible to legally own a firearm.
The experience transformed her perspective.
Today, she understands that even the most loving and attentive parents can underestimate a child’s curiosity.
“People think, ‘My child would never touch that,'” she said. “But kids are curious. You can’t think like that.”
That realization has become the foundation of her mission.
Zollicoffer now spends much of her time speaking about firearm safety and encouraging gun owners to use safes, locks and other protective measures to keep weapons out of children’s reach.
She also believes parents should have honest conversations with children about firearms and the dangers they present.
As part of those efforts, she created a Facebook group called “A SAFE Place 4 JRs,” a community focused on support, education and in-home gun violence prevention.
While the initiative is still in its early stages, Zollicoffer hopes it eventually grows into something much larger.
Her goal is simple: save lives.
“If sharing my story saves one child’s life, then it’s worth it,” she said.
The years since Junior’s death have brought unimaginable grief, but also healing.
Zollicoffer has since welcomed two more children, Saint and Savior, whom she credits with helping her find purpose after tragedy.
Still, there is not a day that passes when she doesn’t think about Junior.
His photographs remain close. His memory remains present.
And every time she tells his story, she hopes another parent hears the warning she wishes she could have heard herself.
As National Gun Violence Awareness Month continues in June, Zollicoffer is asking parents not only to secure their firearms, but also to cherish every moment with their children.
“Life can change in a second,” she said.
Then, after a long pause, she shared the message that has become the driving force behind her advocacy.
“Please secure your firearms. Don’t think it can’t happen to you,” she said. “That’s what I thought. And now I live with this every day.”
