JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Loved ones gathered Tuesday evening to remember a former Lee High School football player who was shot and killed Friday.
The vigil for Malik Brown was held in front of the Dollar General on Kings Road, near where he was killed.
Malik Brown, 18, leaves behind a 1-month-old daughter and had a bright future ahead of him. He attended Warner University in Lake Wales on a football scholarship after graduating from Lee High.
“I’m heartbroken. Like, my heart has been snatched out because he had a lot of potential,” said Maurice Brown Sr., Malik Brown’s grandfather.
Family members held hands and lit candles as they remembered the teen at the vigil.
″I want to thank everybody for coming out to support my son," said Maurice Brown Jr., Malik Brown’s father. "Just look around. He was loved.”
According to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, the teen was killed and a man was injured in a shooting during a robbery about 8:30 p.m. Friday in the parking lot of an apartment complex on West 12 Street, just off Kings Road. Malik Brown was home on winter break.
His grandfather couldn’t bear the news.
“You see this on the news all the time, and you never think it’s going to impact your family. And it hurt when you see other people on TV, but this is the worst feeling you could ever have," Maurice Brown Sr. said.
The family is hoping Malik Brown’s unexpected death will be a wake-up call for the community.
“Watch who you’re around. They need to stop all this. It’s breaking hearts. There are families out here. There ain’t much to say. That’s my brother. No one expected Malik Brown to go out like that,” said Maurqise Brown, Malik Brown’s brother.
Police have not released descriptions of the suspects they believe were involved in the shooting. Anyone with information is asked to call the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office at 904-630-0500 or Crime Stoppers at 1-866-845-TIPS (8477).