‘He was a special kid’: Vigil held for 14-year-old high school football player fatally shot in Aberdeen
Purple and white balloons reflected the soft flicker of candlelights as friends, family and teammates of 14-year-old Jai'den Winchester remembered him as a respectful, sweet young man who loved sports and stood against bullying.
The vigil — held in the Aberdeen neighborhood on Center Deen Avenue where Jai'den, a student at Havre de Grace High School, was fatally shot just days before — opened with a prayer as brief moments of silence were interrupted by weeping and sniffling.
Winchester's father thanked everyone for attending and called his son "a special kid" that demanded a lot of love and attention.
"I don't understand why I am here, but I am at peace with it," his father said. "I knew from the moment Jai'den was born that I had a special child and special people don't last long."
The crowd gathered around dozens of candles, holding pictures of Winchester on the football field with the words "Forever 17."
Winchester's mother moved through the crowd that filled the street as she slowly approached the center of the vigil. She wept and leaned on friends and family for support while she worked to continue forward.
She was comforted by dozens of young football players wearing helmets and orange jerseys who gave her hugs and red roses.
"He grew up to be a young man with so much promise. Seeing that much promise only comes once in a lifetime," said Tyrone McKisset, a friend of Winchester. "It kills me to know that we had to come together like this because I'd of rather us come together to see him go into the NFL or something like this."
McKisset, a mentor to many of the neighborhood kids, said he would help Winchester and other kids in the neighborhood train for sports.
"I'd tell them to hit me up if they wanted to work and the next thing I knew, Jai'den was hitting me up everyday coming to my house at nine in the morning saying 'what we doing today?' and I'd tell him we are training," McKisset said. "It was something he looked forward to."
Jacob Bennett, a Harford County Councilman and teacher at Harford County Public Schools, stood among the crowd reflecting on when he taught Jai'den in first grade.
"Jai'den was a great kid," Bennett said. "It is hard because you tie their shoes every day and help them with their lunch and the whole time, you don't think that 8 years later you'd be attending their vigil. You never think you'd attend a student's vigil before their graduation."
Winchester died Saturday during a shooting that occurred outside of a Halloween party.
Kevin Kinsey Jr., 16, of Havre de Grace, is charged with first- and second-degree murder, first-degree assault, reckless endangerment and several other gun-related violations, according to charging documents released Monday by the Harford County State's Attorney's Office.
The charging documents state that Kinsey and Winchester were at the Halloween party together, then left the party and got into a car with four others. While in the car, the two got into an argument and Kinsey shot Winchester, according to witness statements given to police and detailed in the charging documents.
Soon after the shooting, according to the charging documents, Aberdeen police officers detained two individuals on Route 22 who had blood stains on their clothing and matched the description of the alleged shooter. One of them was Kinsey.
Witnesses told police they saw Kinsey at the party with a handgun, and police recovered a black Walther 9MM handgun from the vehicle, according to charging documents. Police said the gun was registered to Kinsey's father.
Kinsey is in custody at the Harford County Detention Center, according to Aberdeen Police Capt. William Reiber. A bail review hearing was held Monday at the Harford County District Court in Bel Air, and Kinsey is being held without bail.
A viewing for Winchester is set for Friday, Nov. 8 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Star Centre in Havre de Grace. Winchester's funeral will be held Saturday, Nov. 9 at 3 p.m. at Mountain Christian in Joppa.
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Friends and teammates of a 14-year-old killed over the weekend in Aberdeen hold a candlelight vigil for him near the area he was shot. (Staff)
