A year after her son was shot dead in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighbourhood, Michelle Reese is turning her grief into a campaign for stronger gun violence prevention measures.
Robert Fleeks, 26, was killed on September 17, 2025, while sitting in his car near Pike Street. An arrest has since been made, but his mother says the loss remains especially painful because he had been preparing to become a father.
“The most precious gift my son left behind was a daughter,” Ms Reese said. “The week that he passed was also the week he told me he was an expecting father.”
Seattle gun violence prevention campaign grows from personal loss
On Saturday, Ms Reese returned to the park where her son grew up playing to remember the man she described as a source of encouragement and reassurance to those around him.
She said the hardest part of the bereavement had been knowing that Mr Fleeks would never raise his child.
“It hurts me that I don’t get to see my son be a father,” she said. “That’s the hardest thing.”
In the months since the shooting, Ms Reese has sought support from other families affected by gun violence. She said connecting with people who understood her experience had helped her move through her grief while giving her a wider purpose.
“It does help to know there’s someone else who is going through some of the same things,” she said.
Those relationships have also taken her to Seattle City Hall, where she and other survivors have pressed officials to involve bereaved families more directly in public safety planning.
The group met representatives from Mayor Katie Wilson’s office in February and later returned for a follow-up discussion. Ms Reese said families wanted to see concrete action, rather than being repeatedly asked to recount their experiences.
“It’s not the first shooting, it’s not the first group of families that have been asked to come to the mayor’s office,” she said. “And it’s a lot of telling our stories.”
Seattle has said it is putting community-led work at the centre of its response. In March, the city announced a $14.7 million investment in partnerships intended to prevent violence, support affected communities and focus resources in areas where gun violence is most concentrated.
Ms Wilson has acknowledged residents’ frustration over crime and disorder, saying that reducing violence must remain a priority for the city administration.
“People remain frustrated by the levels of crime and public disorder on our streets, and they’re right to be frustrated,” the mayor said. “So, this is an issue that we have to keep working on.”
