A mother from Ohio experienced the worst heartbreak a parent can ever go through after she found her son unresponsive in his bed when she went to his room to wake him up one morning.
Shayne Edwards Jr. was described by many as a loving young man who brought so much joy in the lives of everyone who has ever met him. He loved school and enjoyed being around friends. He was a high school student at Elyria High School and adored his classmates and his teachers.
Kristin Marie, Shayne’s mom, spoke of her son as of a vibrant boy whose company made everyone’s life a bit better. There was never a dull day around this boy with infectious smile.
Shayne was a freshman, and he was looking forward to high school, but then a tragedy struck and his life was cut short in a manner no one could have ever imagined.
In the early morning of September 12, 2022, Kristin went to Shayne’s room to wake him up, expected to be greeted with a smile, like always. Instead, she noticed her son was irresponsive and she could never guess what was going on.
In a state of shock and disbelief, the devastated mother called 911.
Medics stated that the boy was dead and police officers said the boy was killed while sound asleep by a drive-by bullet.
Police Chief William Pelkom at the Elyria Police Department revealed that there was evidence of gunshots toward the late teenager’s home. He said there were at least five people in the house at the time of the shooting, and it couldn’t be determined if the youngster was the intended target.
The news of Shayne’s passing affected the entire community. It was hard to understand that a young life was taken in such horrific manner.
“[Shayne] loved his family unconditionally. And it’s unfortunate that this happened, especially around our neighborhood. You know, we see it, sometimes [from] far away, and it doesn’t hit [us] as hard,” a friend of the family who wanted to stay anonymous said.
Marie, who is grief-stricken and has a hard time accepting the fact that her son is gone penned an emotional post on social media, where she explained that her heart is broken.
“When I wake up tomorrow, my son will only be here in the Spirit. No more hearing his laugh. No more feeling his hugs. No more ‘I love you mom,'” this devastated mother wrote.
Friends of the family started a GoFundMe page to help them with the funeral expenses. So far, around $12,000 have been raised.
“It saddens me to have to write this post, because it’s something you never imagine having to do. Our families are so appreciative of the support and outreach we have received,” a Facebook post by Shayne’s uncle David Alen Axford read.
Elyria Mayor Frank Whitfield held a press conference where he offered heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family.
“This is not normal, and I think it’s important that we don’t treat is at such. This is a 14-year-old boy who was shot and killed. This is not normal, and like many of you, I’m not only grieving, but I’m angry,” Mayor Whitfield said.
The police are hoping they would be able to track down the person who fired the shot which killed this young man.
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Bored Daddy
Love and Peace