Sahmir Marquan Toliaferro was a voracious reader, even in elementary school, when he received the highest score on an aptitude test and was put in a special school for gifted children.
He didn’t even have to study, said his mother, Mercedes. He just had a knack for picking up concepts and applying knowledge to unique situations—and to helping his brother with homework.
“He was naturally smart,” Mercedes says. “He loved books about underdog stories, and was fascinated by controversial historical figures. Other kids might be bored by historical biographies, but Sahmir wanted to learn about people who made an impact on the world. Maya Angelou was one of his favorite writers.”
On May 21, 2023 Sahmir was doing another thing he loved – caring for stray dogs in Philadelphia’s Kensington neighborhood. A drug addicted person, desperate for money, saw that Sahmir was carrying cash and shot him multiple times outside a store. Sahmir died on the scene at 20 years old. A suspect was arrested and charged for the crime. But Sahmir isn’t here.
“When it first happened, I thought my life would be crying every day,” reflects Sahmir’s mother. “I went into the closet and cried to God. I had this heart that didn’t have Sahmir to love anymore and I was sent into a black hole. My heart is still urging for that love, that person. I begged God and he showed me a vision that Sahmir was offered to him. A sense of peace washed over me.”
A memorial service was held on May 24, 2023. The service was sad, but Mercedes notes it was also a celebration of the joy Sahmir brought to the planet during his short time here.
Just like her son, Mercedes was able to see the positive in a dark situation. Sahmir was a “silver linings” kind of guy who put himself on the line for others, always scheming to find ways to help. Whether it was scrounging up enough money to help a family member with bail, or saving stray dogs from the street, Sahmir was shrewdly tapped in. He could find his way around any city without using a GPS, and people relied on him to help them navigate this world.
He had so much love to give friends, strangers and family alike, and he was the glue that held the family together. He even could unite the most stubborn of personalities.
“I called him Limited Edition because he was special,” she says. “He was an introvert who gathered his energy from being alone. But people were attracted to him like a magnet. He had this big smile he was known for. He couldn’t talk without smiling. People felt like they wanted to be around him.”
Sahmir made friends without trying at the Delaware School, and wherever else the wind took him. When his family moved to New York, Sahmir made more friends than his mother could count in the span of one week.
“It took a lot for him to get angry,” says Mercedes. “One of his nicknames was Smiley. He was too pure for this world, but he was also fiercely independent.”
Sahmir’s heart held a special place for those most vulnerable in this world, like babies—but especially dogs.
“He had a German Shepard and a Doberman he just loved,” recalls Mercedes. “If you were ever looking for Sahmir, you could probably find out on the street rescuing stray dogs and taking them to the SPCA. His dream was to own a kennel.”
Trinity, Sahmir’s 12-year old sister, feels his absence in the unusual quietness of the house now that he’s gone.
“He would put on music and then start running around the house. He loved Rodwave. It was annoying to me back then, but now that he’s died, I miss it. It’s upsetting we can’t hear it anymore.”
Like most brothers and sisters, Sahmir and Trinity had a complicated relationship.
“We would always fight and bicker,” she says. “He would always finish my food, all my meals and my snacks too. He would eat anything.”
Sahmir earned the nickname “Little” from birth, as he was a mere 5 pounds when he entered this world. He is weightless now as he looks over his family, friends, and strangers, guiding them through this life and into the next.
Resources are available for people and communities that have endured gun violence in Philadelphia. Click here for more information.
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