Grief compels father of homicide victim to speak out against gun sanctuary

MEDINA — The Duke family has been touched by gun violence in the worst way possible. Ohio Stands United-Medina County has asked Medina County commissioners to support a resolution making the county a Second Amendment Sanctuary. Phillip Duke, of Medina, supported by his wife, Kim, and daughter, Jennifer Thur, spoke out Tuesday against the resolution. "We are here to urge you to resist that request," said Duke, a former Medina city councilman. "We speak, I think, for many other parents, sisters, children and families who have been victims of gun violence here in Medina County and around the nation. "I think it's fair to remind you that our daughter, Julia, and granddaughter, Jocelyn, were murdered in 2017 by a man who purchased a weapon designed only to kill human beings at a gun show with no questions asked, no background check and no waiting period. He also purchased over 200 rounds of ammunition just as easily, which he unloaded more than a dozen into my daughter's body. So, our feelings are certainly influenced by that event." Julia Duke, 36, six months pregnant at the time of her death, was killed March 6, 2017, by her estranged boyfriend at her home on Red Oak Circle in Medina. Cedric Jones, 43, of Ravenna, turned the gun on himself after killing Duke. Julia is survived by two sons. Jocelyn was the unborn baby's name. Julia, a Medina High School graduate, was scheduled to have a cesarean section on May 17, her father's birthday. Jennifer Thur, Julia's younger sister and owner of the day care center Bumblebee Village — Lala Land in Medina, said because of guns and senseless gun laws, said she's been forced to move on in life without Julia by her side. She doesn't support Medina County becoming a Second Amendment sanctuary, she said. "To me, it means a place where there is no common sense thought going into the laws being passed," Thur said. "And, that people can get away with whatever they want when it comes to guns. It means not being able to grow old with my sister and give back to the community that we love. So, instead, all I can do is protect my community in the best way I know how ... and that is by speaking out and not allowing people to blindly make decisions surrounding gun laws. That is how I can give back. Julia is right here with us doing that." Her father, owner of Special Service Transportation Inc. in Brunswick and a former city councilman in Medina, said he gets a bit unsettled when he sees a gun show coming to the Medina County Fairgrounds. "It is largely unregulated and provides loopholes that allow people who may otherwise have red flags, mental illness or felonies to procure weapons just as easily as the man that murdered our daughter and our precious granddaughter Jocelyn," Duke said. "People can and do attend gun shows (at the fairgrounds) in order to purchase military-style weapons like the kind that have been used to kill hundreds of thousands of children in our country. Our concerns are certainly influenced by those events." Duke said his family isn't "anti-gun people." "We recognize that many of our fellow Americans and people in Medina County hunt and carry weapons for personal protection," he said. "We respect our Constitution including the Second Amendment. We are simply asking you to maintain your independence and critical thinking that is vital in your role as a Medina County commissioner and not pass the so-called Second Amendment sanctuary." Two Medina women, Nicole Glass and Pam Miller, also spoke in opposition of the Second Amendment sanctuary resolution. Glass said she previously lived in Euclid and said there were times where she feared for her life. That led her to purchase her first weapon and now owns several, she said. Her husband is a U.S. Marine. She said it's important to protect all of our rights equally, without placing great significance on any one. "To require extra protection of one Constitutional amendment over all others is in itself a detriment to the Constitution as a whole," Glass said. "It sends a message that we as a community care more about our access to firearms than any other right that can be violated." About 1,690 people have signed a petition at Ohio Stands United-Medina County. Glass, though, said that doesn't reflect the opinions of everyone in Medina County. Commissioners haven't entirely ruled out passing a resolution. Commissioner Pat Geissman said she is attending a County Commissions Association of Ohio meeting Friday. "I want to see what the other commissioners are thinking (on the matter)," she said. Contact reporter Bob Finnan at (330) 721-4049 or rfinnan@medina-gazette.com.