A funeral service was held Saturday in Florida City for a 13-year-old boy who was shot and killed one week ago.
A funeral service was held Saturday in Florida City for a 13-year-old boy who was shot and killed one week ago.
It was an emotional day for everyone who knew Johvon Taylor who was shot and killed on Jan. 5 in the 1300 block of Northwest Sixth Avenue.
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WATCH HEREDuring Taylor's funeral service at Covenant Missionary Baptist Church, city leaders spoke about the impact the shooting had on their community.
“When Johvon died, the whole city cried," said Florida City Mayor Otis Wallace. "He was only 13 years old, yet we will never know what he could’ve, would’ve, should’ve been.”
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“He was kind, he was loving, he was sweet,” said Lamond Morrison, assistant principal of Homestead Middle School.
Taylor's family also spoke at his funeral service and reminisced on the good times they've had with him. They also said their goodbyes one last time to the boy who they said was nothing but all smiles.
“My now guardian angel, auntie loves you more than life itself and would do anything just to see you smile,” Taylor's aunt said.
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To those that knew Taylor, or "Woodah," as some called him, he was full of love and light.
Friends and family said he had a passion for football, music, dancing and dirt bikes, and had a whole life ahead of him.
A letter written by Taylor's mother read "You are my twin, my reflection, my everything. Without you, my new life will never be the same.”
Mayor Wallace also gave a call to action and said enough is enough with gun violence but it will never stop until everyone does their part to make a change.
“We gotta stop killing each other and expect somebody to wave a magic wand and make it stop," he said. "Yes I am angry about that but I am hopeful as well.”
