HALIFAX — Despite the drizzly mid-October weather, Al MacCullough spent his Friday morning outside in Dartmouth’s north side putting up posters.

It’s been almost 20 years since Jason, his 19-year-old son, was killed while walking home through a poorly-lit, paved path off Pinecrest Drive. Since then, his family has been taking part in and helping to promote the community’s annual Walk Against Violence, which MacCullough was using posters to advertise on Friday.

“He was a good kid, he wasn’t the kind of person that would harm a fly,” said MacCullough in an interview.

“Someone shot him in the back of the head, senselessly.”

During his short life, Jason was a good student, a member of Scouts Canada, an avid swimmer and a volunteer at the Boys & Girls Club in north Dartmouth. At the time of his death, he worked at a gas station saving up money for university.

Police found Jason on a paved path between 100 and 104 Pinecrest Dr. in Dartmouth around 2:30 a.m. on Aug. 28, 1999. They said at the time there was no indication Jason was involved in any type of criminal activity, and believe his death was a random act of violence.

MacCullough said despite the improvements made to investigative resources over the past two decades, he and his family continue to struggle with a “frustrating” lack of closure.

The province is offering $150,000 for information leading to the conviction of Jason’s killer through the Rewards for Major Unsolved Crimes Program, but so far, there are no leads that MacCullough is aware of.

“A lot of things have changed in 19 years … but in my mind, it just happened yesterday,” he said.

“Unfortunately, people aren’t coming forward. It’s hard to figure out, but hopefully, somebody — either for the $150,000, or because they can’t live with it on their conscience anymore — hopefully they will come forward and give police the information they need.”

The first Walk Against Violence started at the Boys & Girls Club in north Dartmouth a couple of months after Jason’s death.

Nearly 20 years later, the community continues to stand in solidarity with the MacCullough family — which offers some comfort for Jason’s father as he continues to grieve for his son.

“It may only be temporary, but it feels like you’re not all by yourself, like you’re not doing it all by yourself,” he said, though he added that the walk isn’t all about Jason.

“It’s all about everybody who has lost people to senseless violence. … Everybody that shows up to the march is affected in some way.”

He said that even if Jason’s murder is solved, he believes the community will continue to hold the walks.

This year’s Walk Against Violence will take place Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. at the Boys & Girls Club on Farrell Street in Dartmouth. Participants will walk through nearby neighbourhoods for about an hour, before returning to the club for a short candlelight ceremony.

Veronica McNeil, director of operations for the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Halifax, said the walk first began by its organization both as a way to honour Jason and to stand up to the violence happening in the community and reclaim a sense of safety.

“It’s really important for us to get together as a group and join together and walk the streets, and show that this community is standing together against violence, and we want the safety of our street back for our citizens — our youth in particular,” she said.

“And to create awareness of the impact violence has on families, and the community as a whole.”

She said the area has since taken strides to improve safety for the community, like trimming back overgrown bushes, creating paths in some areas and improving visibility at night.

But she said it’s important for them to continue the walks to continue to support Jason’s family, and other people who have lost loved ones to violence.

McNeil added that the walk is also a way to fundraise for a scholarship in his name.

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“Jason was a student at Dartmouth High School, and so every year we award a graduating student from Dartmouth High School a scholarship: the Jason MacCullough Memorial Scholarship,” she said.

“And that way, we continue to be reminded of the value of young people and the cost when a young person is lost.”

Correction- Oct. 14, 2018: This article was updated from a previous version that incorrectly stated that the MacCullough family organizes the Walk Against Violence, when it’s in fact the Boys & Girls Club.

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