ROANOKE, Va. – Asia Wilder, 17, called her childhood friend Isiah Robinson the “life of the party.” While his life may be over, she says the party continues in the hearts of everyone who knew him.
Robinson, 18, was killed in a shooting in downtown Blacksburg Friday.
“I didn’t really know how to take it,” shared Wilder. “I felt like it was a dream because I had literally just talked to him three days ago.”
Reminded just how precious life is and how fast things can change, Wilder has one wish.
“I didn’t get to hug him one last time. That’s what hurts the most,” said Wilder.
The pair were more like brother and sister, says Wilder. They met on a bus ride to school one day and were inseparable.
Robinson was a football and basketball player at Patrick Henry High School in Roanoke with big dreams of going pro.
“He was doing something that could take his life further…that could take those around him further,” said Wilder.
While Robinson was serious about sports, he was also serious about having a good time.
In the last year or so, the youth in our area have fallen victim to gun violence at alarming rates.
“It’s hard and it’s sad because it’s kids. It’s not even grown people anymore. It’s young kids,” stated Wilder.
Roanoke Mayor Sherman Lea spoke with us today about that.
“It tells me we have regional issues. We got to come together because it’s not a Roanoke problem. It is a societal problem,” said Lea.
Even though the shooting was beyond his borders, Lea says this death is yet another reminder that more work needs to be done.