The shooting death of an 18-year-old Capital High School student-athlete killed Wednesday, April 7, cast a pall over West Virginia’s capital city, as yet more senseless gun violence robbed a family and community of a bright light.
Charleston Police Chief Tyke Hunt said Kelvin “KJ” Taylor, 18, did not survive wounds suffered as a result of the shooting that happened Wednesday on Charleston’s West Side, on the corner of Central Avenue and Glenwood Avenue, the Charleston Gazette-Mail reported.
Taylor was a standout wide receiver for the Capital High Cougars “with a penchant for making timely big plays. He also had a knack for getting along famously with his friends and teammates,” recounted a follow-up story in the newspaper.
Independent West Virginia journalist Kyle Vass attended a memorial service Friday in Charleston at the corner where Taylor was shot and posted this affecting thread in words and images to Twitter. I reformatted his thread for this page. All photos are by Kyle. Follow him on Twitter at: twitter.com/WilliamKyleVass ~ Douglas John Imbrogno, WestVirginiaVille.com editor
By Kyle Vass | Posted to Twitter on Friday, April 10, 2021
Gun violence. There was a tragic yet beautiful vigil tonight to honor the life of KJ Taylor, a teenager lost to gun violence two days ago. But, panic and grief overcame the crowd when a shooting broke out on the other side of town during the vigil.
A woman and her three year old were shot. Not long after the mom was pronounced dead, people in the crowd heard that a shooter was planning on shooting up the vigil we were at.
The devastation and layers of re-traumatizing events were something I’m privileged enough to have never experienced. Seeing them play out in real time was gut-wrenching. If you have the chance to help Charleston’s West Side recover, please give. Here’s how:
MORE PHOTOS OF THE MEMORIAL by KYLE:
