JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A local family is mourning the loss of a 22-year-old man who was shot and killed Friday night near San Marco.
Police identified the victim Thursday as Amanual Kebede.
He was found dead of a single gunshot wound in his car on Ashland Street near the San Marco area. JSO investigators ruled that the shooting was not a suicide, and homicide detectives are investigating.
Kebede recently graduated from Florida State College at Jacksonville where he studied to be an engineer, and his tight-knit family is torn apart by his killing. His parents are holding out hope that police can find the culprit.
"We need justice for our son," Kebede's father, Shume Tessema, said.
Kebede worked as a clerk at a Shell gas station downtown. He and his family moved to the United States from Ethiopia 14 years ago.
His parents told News4Jax that they don't know who would want to kill him or why.
"In Jacksonville, every day there is crime and murder. I don't know who did this," Tessema said. "He was very brilliant. He was very kind. He was very joyful, and he was intelligent. He liked fun, loved families, loved everybody. He went to church. He loved God."
Kebede has a large family, and his relatives are sticking together in this difficult time. They said they have already forgiven whoever killed him.
"We love them. We forgive them," Tessema said.
Still, they want justice so no one else dies.
"We don't need this to happen to any family," Kebede's mother, Getenesh Cheshamo, said. "We need to stop. We need to love each other, forgive each other and have a better life, because Jesus is on the way. He is coming soon. We need to stop killing."
Detectives are asking anyone with information to call 904-630-0500 or Crime Stoppers at 866-845-TIPS.
The family will hold a funeral for Kebede on Saturday at a local church.