JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Fourteen-year-old Horace Lee James' family will never be able to see him graduate or become the football player he wanted to be when he grew up.
Police are still looking for the person responsible for shooting and killing the eighth-grade Arlington Middle School student outside an Arlington nightclub late Saturday night.
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"This is just so sad. This is just heartbreaking," said Violet Gergar, Horace's grandmother. "My only grandson, and they took him."
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Gergar said her grandson had just left the movie theater and went to Club Menage to pick up his older sister about 11:30 p.m. so she didn't have to walk home alone.
Gergar said that's the type of kid Horace was, always protecting his family, especially when it came to his sisters. Gergar said Horace had never been involved in a fight.
Horace went inside the club and told his sister he'd meet her across the street, Gergar said. Little did Horace's sister know that would be the last time she would ever hear from him.
"She ran around the corner and ran over, and it was her brother lying there," Gergar said. "She was pulling on his clothes to try to wake him up, and she said, 'He wouldn't wake up, grandma.' She called screaming and yelling."
Two girls were also shot outside the club, and one was left in serious condition at a hospital, but both are expected to be OK.
School officials had grief counselors on hand Monday to help students cope with Horace's death.
While investigators continue their search for the person or people responsible, Gergar said she will not rest until justice is served.
"I just want you to know whoever did this to my grandson, I will see you rest in hell," Gergar said. "I'm sorry, but that's just how I feel."
If you have any information about the shooting, call Crime Stoppers at 866-845-TIPS (8477). Callers can remain anonymous and are eligible for a cash reward.