LAKE PARK, Fla. — Saturday evening at Kelsey Park was met with a crowd of people looking to honor 17-year-old Te’Shawn Harris. The group tried to remain upbeat despite the recent tragedy.
“We’re not thinking of it as a death," said Zahayra Hutchinson, Harris' mother. "We're celebrating a homecoming for my kid.”
The Riviera Beach teenager was fatally shot Aug. 8 at around 3 a.m. near the 300 Block of Sixth Street in Lake Park. The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office says they are treating it as a homicide.
“He was a good kid. I don’t know why they took my good kid, man,” said Hutchinson.
Those who loved Harris say he spent his short life impacting his community.
“He was a leader, he took a lot of children out of their shell," Hutchinson said. "He always helped older people, grown people, kids. He was a great kid."
Rickey Aiken was a mentor to Harris through the non-profit program Inner City Innovator's Hope Dealers. The organization helps at-risk children and teaches them about gun violence.
Aiken met Harris just hours before Harris' death when he asked the teen how he'd like to be remembered.
“His answer was I want to be remembered as a soldier, someone that no matter how hard life got I just kept soldering on and overcoming adversities,” said Aiken.
Hutchinson is still making peace with her sons death, hoping someone will be found responsible.
“I just want justice for him,” Hutchinson said.
The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office says the investigation is ongoing.
Inner City Innovators has started a fundraiser to help the family with the cost of funeral arrangements. Click here if you'd like to help.
“He has a personality as bright as the sunshine," Aiken said. "There weren’t often times that you’d see him and he wasn’t smiling or he wasn’t encouraging."
