Treyvon Vallery called his mother every single day. It had become part of his routine.
Just over a week has passed since the 25-year-old was fatally shot in DeKalb County, and his mother now finds herself calling him, just hoping that he will pick up.
“I’m gonna miss those calls. ... I’m going miss that smile, his sense of humor and the love he had for his mother,” Kenisha Vallery told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Thursday.
Treyvon Vallery was killed Feb. 28 at the home he shared with his girlfriend, Nina Shaw, at the Belle Vista apartments. Shaw and her father, Royricas Shaw, remain in the DeKalb jail, both charged with murder in Vallery’s shooting death.
Police said the victim was involved in a dispute with Shaw that day, and at some point she called her father to the complex.
A witness told police that she saw the three arguing before observing Vallery lying on his stomach and Royricas Shaw, 47, kneeling on the man’s back with a gun pointed toward him, according to an incident report. The witness added that she saw the victim attempt to get up when Royricas Shaw fired his gun moments before Nina Shaw, 25, also shot at Vallery, the report details.
Nina and Royricas Shaw then drove to the hospital because the father had been shot in the hip, police said. They were arrested a day after the deadly shooting.
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
Kenisha Vallery said she learned of her son’s shooting over the phone directly from Nina Shaw.
“She said, ‘Ma, Trey and my dad got into an altercation. Trey shot my dad and my dad shot Trey back,’” she recounted about the phone call.
According to the police report, a gun belonging to Treyvon Vallery was found by police in a bush near the crime scene. The report does not state that he ever shot the gun, and police said they are still working to determine who shot at Royricas Shaw.
Kenisha Vallery said she is thankful she always had a close relationship with her son. She recalled that he still had a key to her home and would often stop by during his lunch breaks.
Antonio Vallery Jr. said he looked up to his brother and cherished their connection. It wasn’t unusual for them to spend their evenings and days off playing video games together or just chatting on the phone.
“I always wanted to be around him, and quite frankly, I really wanted to be like him. And so being the younger brother, I paid attention to a lot of stuff he did as a child and I tried to replicate that,’’ Antonio said.
For at least the past year, it had been Treyvon who was looking up to his younger brother, who became a first-time dad of twin girls in March 2023. Antonio said his brother would often ask to video-chat just so he could see the girls.
About an hour before the fatal shooting, Treyvon called Antonio asking to talk to his nieces. Antonio said he would call him back when he got home from work. But as he was getting ready to call Treyvon, his mother called to tell him that his brother had been shot.
“I was just thinking in my head like, ‘My brother is invincible. No one can stop him,’” Antonio recounted about his immediate reaction to finding out his brother had died.
Credit: Contributed
Credit: Contributed
The family is now struggling to understand how what began as a fight between Treyvon and his girlfriend turned deadly so quickly.
“For somebody to take his life the way they did, it’s just devastating to me,” Kenisha said. ”That was my baby. He was attached to my hip.”
A celebration of life will be held Saturday afternoon at the T.R. Sanders Gymnatorium in Hollandale, Mississippi, where Treyvon was born. He will be buried beside his grandmother at the Sanders Memorial Garden Cemetery.
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