Lashika Almond and her son Timothy “TJ” Henderson opened their home to everyone around them.
Kids from their Lawrenceville neighborhood came over to play. Henderson, who was prepared to enroll in the culinary program at Gwinnett Technical College, would invite dozens of people over for a cookout, but didn’t let anyone else touch the grill.
“I miss everything about him,” Almond said on Friday, wearing shirt that read “LLTJ”: Long Live TJ.
Henderson, 18, was fatally shot May 5 at the Herrington Mill Apartments in Lawrenceville, the neighborhood where he and his mother lived. Raheem Whiteside, 20, of Dacula, is in custody and charged in Henderson’s death, according to online records. The shooting was the result of a robbery, police have said.
Almond, along with local and state elected officials and community leaders, spoke in front of the Gwinnett County courthouse Friday morning as part of National Gun Violence Awareness Day. Most attendees wore orange, the symbolic color worn to advocate for ending gun violence.
“We are gathered here today because we reject gun violence,” event organizer Tyler Lee said. Lee attends Peachtree Ridge High School, the school from which Henderson graduated. “Gun violence will not be accepted as a normal part of everyday life.”
Some officials at the event advocated for gun reform, including banning assault-style weapons and high-capacity magazines, mandating background checks and requiring safe storage.
Almond also made a plea to young people who may be attracted to dangerous behaviors, asking them to think of their parents and how they would feel if they lost their child to a shooting.
Several friends and relatives of Henderson attended the event. Friends and family have also started an online fundraiser to offset funeral costs. A celebration of life for Henderson was held on May 17. Kendan Shuff carried Henderson’s graduation portrait that was signed by teachers and counselors from Peachtree Ridge, who shared condolences and fond memories.
“He was spoiled, his mom loved him so much,” Shuff said. And Henderson was always willing to share, whether it be food, toys, video games or even appliances.
Shuff was in first grade and Henderson was in third when they met. Shuff’s family just moved to the neighborhood, and they didn’t have the equipment to wash their clothes. Henderson invited him over to use the laundry machines at his house, starting more than a decade of friendship.
“His energy and spirit would always lift you up,” he said.
Almond left the event Friday a bit nervous: She was preparing to get a tattoo of her son’s portrait. “I’m scared, but at least I can do this for him,” she said.
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