PALATKA, Fla. – Seventeen-year-old Lawrence Evans was a star in football, track, and in the classroom at Palatka High School before he was shot and killed 10 days ago.
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Palatka High School Principal Cathy Oyster highlighted Evans’ promising future, saying he had a promising collegiate career ahead of him.
She described to News4JAX the impact that his loss has had on the school’s community.
“Teachers and students are breaking down and struggling to process this,” she said.
On the football field, Evans played both offense and defense. His mother, Ashley Floyd, said he also enjoyed weightlifting and basketball, but football was truly what he loved.
“All of that was his momma since he was able to hold a football,” said Jermaine Evans, Lawrence’s father. “I couldn’t do anything but cheer him on because that’s momma right there. He already had my genes, but momma put it to work.”
He dreamed of going pro, but Floyd said she made sure her son always had a backup plan.
“He promised that if he didn’t make it in football, he was going to the Marines because his dad was in the Marines. His older brother was in the Marines,” Floyd said.
Jermaine said he always encouraged his son to be his best.
“My thing was, I want you to be better than me. I want you to be faster. I want you to be stronger,” he said.
Those dreams ended on January 3 when Evans was shot along Main Street in Palatka. He later died at the hospital.
He added that the tragedy of losing his son is “stressful.”
“It makes you angry. You’re saddened because it’s your son,” Jermaine said.
Days after the shooting, Principal Oyster received a rough draft of an essay Evans had written.
“The first sentence starts with, imagine a world where a community supplies the teens with the resources, support, and programs to allow teens to thrive,” she said.
Oyster described Evans as “one of the most humbled young men you would ever meet. He was selfless in every way you could think of.”
Evans’ parents are still processing their loss while holding on to memories of their son.
Lawrence Evans will be laid to rest this Saturday.
A 17-year-old relative of Lawrence was charged with illegal possession of a firearm and tampering with evidence.