JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Eighteen-year-old Tradarius Alexander has been dead for 18 months -- the same amount of time his unidentified killer has been walking free.
Police said Alexander was found dead from a gunshot wound in July 2017 in the middle of Detroit Street near a bus stop on Jacksonville's Westside. A stranger spotted Alexander’s body, realized he'd been shot and called police.
Alexander’s mother, Ralaunda Bray, has made repeated calls for justice for her young son, whose killer has never been arrested.
On Friday, Bray will celebrate what would have been her son's 20th birthday.
“I miss him a lot. I love him,” Bray said. “I’m going to keep fighting.”
Bray said she has no idea why someone would have targeted her son. She said knowing her son’s case isn’t solved makes it difficult to sleep each night.
“He was taken away from me July 9, 2017. From that day on, I’ve been trying to get justice for him. He deserves justice,” Bray said.
Bray said she spends every day looking for leads in her son’s murder.
She wears bracelets and earrings that honor her son in an effort to keep Alexander’s memory alive.
Police have been talking with witnesses who heard gunshots the night Alexander was killed.
Anyone with information that could help solve the case is asked to call the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office at 904-630-0500 or Crime Stoppers at 1-866-845-TIPS.