CAHOKIA, Ill. – Family and friends of TJ Brown, a 15-year-old shot and killed in Cahokia Monday night, gathered to remember a teenager with a quick sense of humor and a big heart.
Jerreka Beck, TJ's mother, said she'll miss the little things.
"Hey momma let me see your phone," remembers Beck. "Waking up being at home."
She said TJ was known for his practical jokes and little laughs here and there.
"Smart funny, you know, he liked playing football," she said.
Without those little moments, Jerreka is facing a whole lot of pain.
"I ain’t never thought in a million years I’d have to bury my child. At 15 anyway. They took my baby from me," said Beck.
Jerreka and her three surviving children joined loved ones holding candles and balloons, a little way to say I love you.
TJ was shot and killed in Cahokia, Monday night. Two of his friends were also injured in the shooting.
"I mean seeing him on the ground covered up and on a stretcher, you know," she said.
She says she knows very little about what happened, other than she lost her precious boy.
"But I’m still lost, that can never be replaced," said Beck.
She's now determined to see an arrest made and justice served.
"And I want them to be found I really do. I really do because when I say sleepless nights, I’ll never get sleep until I get justice," she said.
Which is a big promise from a mom, missing the little things.
"Please come and turn yourself in. Would you want your mother or anybody in my shoes? Because my shoes hurt right now," said Beck.
The family said they would really appreciate help paying for TJ's funeral.
If you would like to donate to the family's GoFundMe, you can click here.
