The proudest moment of Najir Imir Nathan Peterson’s life was when he graduated from Camelot Academy in 2017.
He overcame a lot to get to that point. Najir was sick as a child and suffered from seizures. At school, he had learning differences and a speech impairment, which led to him being bullied.
Najir went into placement as a juvenile, but he got himself together, said his mother Jeannine Shaw.
Throughout it all, she was his biggest supporter.
“He said, ‘Mom, you pushed me and I did it, and this paper is for you,’” Jeannine said.
“I would tell him, ‘You can do it.’ He always wanted to give up because he had a speech problem and kids would tease him about his speech. I used to push him and say, ‘Don’t let anyone stop you. Go get your paper. You deserve it.’ And he did it.”
Najir was in the process of applying to commercial driver’s license school with the goal of becoming a truck driver like his brother, but he wouldn’t get the chance to achieve that.
Najir was shot and killed on March 10, 2019 in the 1800 block of West Grange Avenue, not far from the house he shared with his grandmother. He was 20 years old. His murder remains unsolved.
“He was a happy, lovable person and he learned from his mistakes,” Jeannine said. “Some days I’ll sit here and leave the door open and wait for him to come in and make me laugh. I’ll never hear that laugh again.”
Najir was born April 12, 1998 in Philadelphia to Jeannine and his father, Shawn Peterson. He had two older brothers who are 26 and 24 as well as three brothers on his dad’s side.
He was raised primarily in Northeast Philadelphia but six years ago Jeannine and her sons moved to Germantown.
Jeannine describes her son as polite, respectful and helpful. And because he was teased himself, he didn’t like to see others going through the same thing.
“He loved to protect people,” she said. “He hated to see people sick or hurting. He didn’t like bullies and would stand up if bullies were bothering someone.”
Najir had been staying with Jeannine’s mother, who was ill, and caring for her. At the time of Najir’s murder, she was receiving treatment in a rehab facility.
Tragically, 10 days after Najir’s death, she also died.
“She died of a broken heart,” Jeannine said. “She kept saying, ‘I gotta go get my baby, I gotta go get my baby.’”
Najir is laid to rest at Chelten Hills Cemetery.
The City of Philadelphia is offering up to $20,000 as a reward for anyone that comes forward with information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for Najir’s murder. Anonymous calls can be submitted by calling the Citizens Crime Commission at 215-546-TIPS.
Date: 2019-03-10
Location: 1800 W Grange Ave, Philadelphia, PA
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