DENVER, Colo. — There were so many life moments to look forward to this year. Family trips. Snuggles with siblings.
Instead, Lori Walker is grieving the loss of her son, 14-year-old Nasir Payne, who was shot and killed by another teen at the Montbello Rec Center in Denver earlier this year.
“There's no him coming back. There's no more birthdays with him. No seeing him graduate. No seeing him get his permit, which is something he was talking about doing. He was excited,” Walker said. “He was almost 15. He died a month before his birthday.”
Nasir loved to play basketball. He had gone to the Montbello Rec Center to do just that on the evening of May 21.
The family told Denver7 he was defending his brother during a fight and was not the one who started the violence.
"I've had family watch the video footage of what happened that day to my son. He was standing up for his brother," Walker said.
Days later, Denver police arrested a teen in connection with the shooting, with charges including reckless manslaughter and first-degree assault.
"My son just left to go hang out with his friends and never returned home. How can we feel safe for our kids going places like this?" Walker said.
The family says they've been kept in the dark as the case moves forward. They are now calling for an independent review of the case as they search for answers.
“The next steps will be to see the criminal process play out, which could take who knows how long. That's completely out of our hands and the family's hands,” said Nick Lutz, an attorney with Rocky Mountain Civil Rights representing the family. “However, during that process, we are kind of exploring all different options to figure out how to work with Denver on making positive changes to protect these kids.”
Community members, including Walker, have been calling for more security measures at the rec center.
“What safety protocols were put in place to stop something like this from happening to my son at the rec center – and then since he's passed, is there anything that's changed? Like, are there other children [that are] at risk?” she told Denver7.
Denver7 took those concerns to Denver police and city leaders. In an email, Denver police said they've had extra patrols near the rec center and surrounding areas since the shooting occurred. They said officers have conducted outreach efforts with the recreation center to further provide support.
But Nasir's family wants to see more being done to make sure this doesn’t happen again.
“My son just left to go hang out with his friends and never returned home. I'm worried. I'm worried. I'm worried about even just the community [as a whole],” Walker said.
The family continues to push for broader change across Denver — just another way to honor Nasir's legacy as they keep fighting for justice.
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