The three men accused of killing Zaevion Dobson, a Knoxville teen hailed as a hero, are set to head to trial this week. Jury selection will begin Monday morning.
Zaevion's mother, Zenobia Dobson, said she's willing to do everything it takes to get justice for Zaevion.
"There's no doubt in my mind that I can't do this," she said. "The way he stood up for those girls. I'm willing to do everything it takes for Zaevion."
Investigators said the 15-year-old shielded several friends as gunshots rang out on the December night in 2015 when he was killed.
Christopher Bassett, Richard Williams and Kipling Colbert are charged with his death.
Attorneys for the three men charged with killing Dobson asked for their trial to be moved out of Knoxville or for jurors to be brought in from out of town. They argued there was so much publicity about the case that the defendants would not get a fair trial in Knox County.
A judge denied the motion, and the trial is expected to start Dec. 4.
Zenobia said she hopes the right people are held responsible for the death of her son.
"He protected those girls because he wanted to. It was wrong for them to just shoot in a crowd of kids for nothing," she said.
Former U.S. President Barack Obama paid tribute to the young man, and ESPN gave Dobson the Arthur Ashe Courage Award in 2016. The former president called Zaevion's act of heroism a lot larger than what would be expected of a 15-year-old.
Zenobia said she's about to face the day where she needs to be brave.
"I've been being strong this whole walk. This whole journey that I've been on. It's just ... It's got the best of me. Because I couldn't wait for this day, and now it's here," she said. "I'm like, on edge. But I just ask God to keep me grounded through this."