CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas \u2014 \u201cOuch.\u201d<\/p>\n
In a moment that still echoes in his mind, that was the final word Rob Silva heard from his 11-year-old daughter, Amethyst.<\/p>\n
The family was gathered outside the Allure Apartment Complex <\/a>on Everhart Road on New Year\u2019s Eve 2023, counting down to midnight, until celebratory gunfire in the area ended their night in unimaginable loss.<\/p>\n What should have been a joyful moment of celebration turned into a nightmare that Silva says he will carry for the rest of his life.<\/p>\n Amethyst was struck by a bullet fired from a 9-millimeter pistol, Silva said. She died on the way to the hospital. <\/p>\n \u201cSeeing your daughter get shot in front of you is something that no one ever wants to go through,\u201d Silva told Neighborhood News Reporter, Alexis Scott. \u201cIt\u2019s something I have to live with for the rest of my life.\u201d<\/p>\n Two years later, Silva said the grief has not faded. <\/p>\n “It arrives without warning, in grocery store aisles, in the middle of a song, or during the quiet moments when memories of Amethyst come rushing back.<\/p>\n \u201cGrief doesn\u2019t discriminate,\u201d Silva said. \u201cIt will pop up at any moment. At H-E-B, at Walmart, in the store, in a song. And you just break down, it’s just something that comes with grief, you know, and like I said, it doesn’t discriminate.”<\/p>\n Silva reflected on Amethyst’s kindness and willingness to always give to those without. She loved the Netflix series, Stranger Things, the color purple, and going to McDonalds.<\/p>\n “\u2018I’ll never hear her say again, ‘Daddy, take me to the park. Daddy, push me on the swings,'” Silva added. <\/p>\n While every day is a struggle, Silva said the holiday season brings a painful reminder of what\u2019s missing and what will never be the same.<\/p>\n Yet in the midst of unimaginable loss, Silva finds strength in his children, especially his 18-year-old son, Jude, who has encouraged him to see the rainbow on a cloudy day.<\/p>\n \u201cMy son\u2019s been there for me through all of this,\u201d Silva said. \u201cHe\u2019s always encouraging me, always advising me. My kids are what keep me going.\u201d<\/p>\n The support from the Corpus Christi community has also carried Silva through the darkest days. Letters from children, condolences from strangers, and shared memories of Amethyst fill his home, including a collection of her belongings he carefully preserves.<\/p>\n \u201cEverything that she touched, everything that she owned, is right here,\u201d Silva said. \u201cThe city has supported my daughter so much, and I\u2019m thankful for every single person who has reached out.\u201d<\/p>\n As another Christmas and another New Year approaches, Silva is sharing his story in hopes of preventing another family from experiencing the same tragedy. <\/p>\n \u201cPlease stay inside on New Year\u2019s,\u201d Silva urged. \u201cIt\u2019s not worth losing your child. Those bullets have to land somewhere.\u201d<\/p>\n Silva is calling on the City of Corpus Christi and the Corpus Christi Police Department to take a stronger, more visible role in urging the community to put the guns down, think before they act, and choose safety, especially during the holidays.<\/p>\n For those who own guns, Silva\u2019s message is simple, urgent, and born from heartbreak: \u201cPut the guns down. No shooting. Please.\u201d<\/p>\n While Silva\u2019s family continues to navigate life without Amethyst, he knows they are not alone. <\/p>\n Many families across the Coastal Bend are carrying grief this holiday season, a reality that Crystal Kitchen, Founder and Owner of Healing In Motion Counseling<\/a>, sees often in her practice.<\/p>\n Kitchen said the holidays can intensify emotions for people who are grieving, especially when they feel pressure to appear joyful while privately struggling with loss.<\/p>\n \u201cThis time of the year can be really difficult for those who have lost a loved one,\u201d Kitchen said. \u201cI encourage people who are grieving to embrace the grieving stages. When we do that, it gives our mind time to process and heal.\u201d<\/p>\n She explains that grief does not follow a straight line. The five stages: denial, bargaining, anger, depression, and acceptance. These emotions can fluctuate and evolve over time, and each person\u2019s experience is unique.<\/p>\n \u201cYour love for the one you lost was unique,\u201d Kitchen said. \u201cSo the experience of losing them is unique, too.\u201d<\/p>\n Rather than avoiding painful memories, Kitchen encourages families to acknowledge them and even incorporate them into the holiday season.<\/p>\n \u201cThink about the traditions you shared together,\u201d Kitchen added. \u201cWalk in faith with those traditions. And give yourself grace if you can\u2019t do things the same way you used to.\u201d<\/p>\n She also suggests creating new traditions, such as cooking a loved one\u2019s favorite meal, lighting a candle, or finding small ways to memorialize them.<\/p>\n Stay connected is just as important.<\/p>\n \u201cCommunity is important,\u201d Kitchen mentioned. \u201cDon\u2019t isolate yourself. Listen to what you can tolerate, but don\u2019t face this alone.\u201d<\/p>\n For those who feel emotionally numb or disconnected, Kitchen emphasizes that grief looks different for everyone, and that support is available when the weight becomes too heavy to carry alone.<\/p>\n \u201cHealing takes time,\u201d Kitchen said. \u201cAnd there are therapists locally and through telehealth who are ready to help people through this process. They are not alone.\u201d<\/p>\n If you or someone you know is struggling with grief this holiday season, local counseling services, community groups, and crisis resources are available.<\/p>\n You are not alone.<\/p>\n For the latest local news updates, click here<\/a>, or download the KRIS 6 News App. <\/a>
Catch all the KRIS 6 News stories and more on our YouTube page<\/a>. Subscribe today!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas \u2014 \u201cOuch.\u201d In a moment that still echoes in his mind, that was the final…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":99189,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[2342,45745,45749,155,157,156,45746,631,5575,45747,14353,45748],"class_list":{"0":"post-99188","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-corpus-christi","8":"tag-alexis-scott","9":"tag-amethyst-silva","10":"tag-celebratory-gunfire","11":"tag-corpus-christi","12":"tag-corpus-christi-headlines","13":"tag-corpus-christi-news","14":"tag-crystal-kitchen","15":"tag-death","16":"tag-grief","17":"tag-healing-in-motion-counseling","18":"tag-new-years-eve","19":"tag-rob-silva"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99188","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=99188"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99188\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/99189"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=99188"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=99188"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=99188"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}