Gun Violence 258
Rodney Copeland, 18, father-to-be who ‘just wanted to live life’
Rodney Copeland could see all of his high school milestones on the horizon. He was 18 years old, a senior in high school and getting ready to plan for his future. “He wanted to go to school, he wanted to graduate and was looking forward to going to prom,” Antoinette Garner, Rodney’s mother, said. “He […]
Kyra Cordova, 27, funny, smart volunteer who was always with friends
It was hard for Kyra Cordova to find shoes. She was 6-foot with size 14 feet and finding clothes wasn’t that easy for her. She and her mother were thrift shopping one day, and Kyra came across a pair of red Louis Vuitton jeans she had to have. One look proved they would not fit […]
Jayvon Mitchell Pendleton, 20, student at Cheyney University with big dreams
As a mother, Felicia Pendleton didn’t have the smoothest path when it came to raising her first child, Jayvon Mitchell Pendleton. Born in Philadelphia on Feb. 17, 1996, Jayvon suffered from ADHD and bipolar disorder. “It really wasn’t easy as a single parent, but I never gave up on him,” Felicia said. She provided guidance […]
Donte Wylie, 20, Still Beloved Almost 10 Years Later
Donte Wylie was 6’ 4” tall, weighed about 200 lbs and was obsessed with Polo brand clothing. “He would wear a belt with the pants, but the pants would still fall down,” Victoria Wylie, Donte’s sister, joked. “My brother walked with a hop, so he would be hopping and pulling up his pants.” It’s fun […]
Howard Williams, 22, Life of the Party
The first hot day of the season in 2010, Hoffman Street in Point Breeze was the scene of a water fight. Super soakers were blasting, and all the neighbors were outside hoping to beat the heat. “It was like everybody had turned on a fire hose,” Dianne Williams, the mother of Howard Williams, said. “Everybody […]
Tamara Johnson, 21, Dreamed of a Beautiful Life With Her Daughter
Tamara Johnson was getting ready to audition for a modeling job in New York when she found out she was pregnant. “That’s the reason why she couldn’t get to New York, because she had this little belly,” Terrez McCleary, Tamara’s mother, said. “I wasn’t paying any attention, but we found out she was pregnant so […]
Darrin “Meatball” Grandy, 23, loved being outside—until he fought for his life
The first thing you should know about Darrin Grandy is this: None of his friends or family ever really called him Darrin. To them, he was Meatball. “When he was born he was really chubby,” said his mother Tameka Johnson, who lives in Olney. “The name just stuck with him.” Born July 12, 1994 in […]
Raymond Pantoja, 26, a rapper who also loved ‘The Notebook’
When Raymond Pantoja was born, he saved his mother’s life. “I was five years lost in drugs,” Lisa Espinosa, Raymond’s mother, said. “Raymond was my lifesaver, because when he was born, he made me realize this was my last time, and I had to get my life together.” Raymond, better known as RJ, changed the […]
Hassan Kay, 18, cereal-obsessed teenager
Fruity Pebbles, Frosted Flakes, Fruit Loops: 18-year-old Hassan Kay’s favorite foods came in the cartoon-covered, colorful boxes that line every grocery store’s cereal aisle. He could easily eat two to three boxes of cereal a day. Hassan was “hooked on it.” “I’d send him to the store and he’d come back with seven or eight […]
Francisco “Frankie” Caraballo Ortiz, 33, planned to take his son trick-or-treating
By all accounts, the most significant event in Francisco “Frankie” Caraballo Ortiz’s life was the birth of his son, Marcus, in 2011. “His son was his world,” said Yarii Torres, Marcus’ mother and Frankie’s former girlfriend. In recent months, 33-year-old Frankie had been working on bringing some stability to his life so he could be […]
Chris Francis, 21, Wonderful Father to a Son He Didn’t Bear
As a young man, Chris Francis fell in love with a girl. That girl was a mother to a baby. And although Brandon, the child of his girlfriend, Erin, was not biologically his, he considered the boy his own. He lived and breathed for that child. “I think the fact that he raised the son […]
Markeish Amir Johnson, 18: ‘I can’t like everybody because everybody isn’t like me’
Markeish Amir Johnson wasn’t your average 18 year old. He loved his family, kept a small circle of friends and was respectful to everyone he crossed paths with. “I’d say, ‘You don’t have many friends,’ but he’d say, ‘I can’t like everybody because everybody isn’t like me,’” Markeish’s mother, Angela Parrish, recalled. Markeish was a […]
Brandon Phillips, 36, working to make a better life for himself
At 36 years old, Brandon Phillips was finally turning his life around. “He had a bump in the road in his early adult life, but toward the end I guess he was trying to slowly get his life back together,” said Dawn Ferguson, Brandon’s wife of three years. Brandon had a family he cared deeply […]
Alexander ‘Tito’ Martinez, 23, loved doing hair and makeup
When Alexander Martinez was about 15, he sat down with his family and told them he had something to tell them. His sister, Roz Pichardo, remembers how nervous he was, and his family knew what was coming. “He said, ‘I just wanted to tell you guys that I’m gay and I still love everybody and […]
Richard Davila, 47, loved to collect sneakers
Shoeboxes filled with more than one hundred sneakers are stacked neatly in the Davilas’ Fairhill home. Richard Davila, a 47-year-old originally from Puerto Rico, collected sneakers for fun. He loved having the newest Jordans and always kept his collection in pristine condition. The sneakers have remained untouched since January 3, 2016, when Richard Davila was […]
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