‘Nobody needs to bury their son’: Family holds vigil for Orlando 15-year-old shot, killed

By Senait Gebregiorgis

Click here for updates on this story

    ORLANDO, Florida (WESH) — Family and friends held a vigil for a 15-year-old OCPS student who was shot and killed in the Parramore neighborhood over the weekend.

Corey Jones’ mother, stepfather, uncle and friends lit candles next to some of their favorite photos of him in the 800 block of Grand Avenue on Monday evening. The 15-year-old was shot in the neighborhood he lived in.

Orlando Police say Jones was likely involved in some sort of argument or fight with someone before he was shot.

“I just can’t believe that somebody had to take him from us at this age like nobody needs to bury their son,” Jones’ uncle Ken Housel said.

“He was wonderful,” Jones’ mother Mary Housel said. “Corey had his ups and downs. Sometimes he was a pain in the butt, but any typical kid would be.”

Investigators believe Jones’ friend ran over to the teenager’s house and told his parents what happened after he was shot. Corey’s stepfather John Keedy was the first person on the scene.

“We just want [the person responsible] to come – somebody to come forward,” Keedy said. “Somebody give us some information on something. At this point, we know nothing.”

Police said at first Jones was conscious enough to talk, but his words were not enough for them to find a suspect.

“He did not give a name. He gave us limited descriptive information,” Lt. Frank Chisari said. “In fact, it is so limited that we don’t want to put out the information and get a million phone calls.”

The teenager found joy through sports and ROTC at Jones High School. The life of a son and friend mattered so much to those who loved him.

“Especially his mom, because it’s hard on all of us,” Ken Housel said. “Corey was a big part of our lives and everybody to come forward and help us. Please help us.”

When Corey was at the hospital it was clear his condition would not improve, so his parents made the tough decision to take him off life support.

If you know anything that can help solve the case, call the Crimeline number at 1-800-423-TIPS (8477).

Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.