When Addie Heyliger remembers her son, Alex, she thinks of laughter echoing through their home, his playful fights with friends and a bright future suddenly stolen.
Now, a year after his tragic death, Heyliger is speaking out—not just to honor her son’s memory, but to call attention to the epidemic of gun violence stealing the lives of young Black men.
Alex Heyliger, graduate of Hightower High School in Missouri City, was shot and killed at a pool party on Houston’s north side last summer. What started as a normal evening quickly spiraled into a nightmare.
“I remember Alex was in the house, and he wanted to go to a party,” Heyliger recalled. “I actually told him no at first because he hadn’t washed his clothes. We compromised. He said he’d do it later. So he went.”
Later that night, she felt a tug in her spirit. Normally asleep by 10 p.m., she turned on her phone. Moments later, the call from one of his friends came.
“All I heard was ‘Mom, come quick. Alex got shot.’ (his friends called me mom),” Heyliger said. “And then I heard my other son screaming in the background. We raced to the north side, but they wouldn’t let me see him. They said he was taken to Ben Taub. That’s when I knew it was bad. Ben Taub is the trauma hospital.”
Hours passed. Then came the news no mother should ever hear.
“They took us to a cold, empty conference room. That’s how I found out Alex was gone,” she said quietly. “I didn’t even get to see my baby until days later. It didn’t feel real.”
Alex had been shot twice. Apparently over a social media beef.
“They had been arguing about something, it escalated on social media and Alex posted that he was going to this party, and the guy who shot him, rolled up, called Alex outside and opened fire,” Heyliger said.
The alleged shooter, a former friend who had recently been released from jail on a misdemeanor gun charge, fled the scene. When he was arrested weeks later, he was reportedly found with two more firearms.
Gun violence: A crisis for young Black men
Alex’s story is one of far too many. According to the CDC, gun violence is the leading cause of death for Black men ages 15 to 34 in the United States. In Harris County alone, over 70% of homicide victims in recent years have been Black men, despite making up a fraction of the population.
“People don’t realize how common this is. There was another young man killed in the same community just nine months before Alex,” said Heyliger, referring to the death of 26-year-old Keenan Gill, who was fatally shot in an apparent road rage incident.
“This isn’t just a city problem. It’s a community crisis,” she said.
A mother’s message
Heyliger is using the anniversary of Alex’s death to share her story in hopes of advocating for change. She’s urging parents, policymakers and peers to take a hard look at the culture of gun access and emotional impulse.
“Our kids don’t have the same kind of critical thinking anymore. They get mad and reach for a gun. When I was growing up, if someone had a problem with you, you fought it out and moved on. But now, the first instinct is to shoot,” she said.
Despite the devastating loss, she’s leaning on her faith, her family and a growing community of mothers who’ve experienced the same heartbreak.
“My faith in God is stronger than it’s ever been,” she said. “You’ve got to focus on what really matters—family, relationships, self-care. I’ve had to learn to put my own mask on first.”
She continues to attend monthly court hearings as the case progresses, each appearance a painful reminder but also a symbol of her resolve.
“I just want people to remember Alex. He was funny, loyal and loved to laugh. He deserved more life.”
As she reflects on the boy she raised and the man he was becoming, her voice steadies with purpose.
“I don’t want another mother to sit in that cold hospital room. I want people to hear our stories and wake up.”
Next week: Part II – A mother’s grief continues: How a fatal fight left Addie’s oldest son fighting for his freedom.
