EAST POINT, Ga. — The family of Mario Bailey, 15, remembered him with a vigil on Tuesday night.
Bailey was killed during a violent altercation after the Tri-Cities High School vs. Banneker High School basketball game last Friday. East Point Police said they heard gunshots in the area and found that a person was shot and another was stabbed after the game. Both students were critically injured during the incidents, and Mario later died. It's unsure at this time if the shooting and stabbing are connected, police said.
The vigil to remember Mario was held on the pathway behind the Tri-Cities High football field because it was where his mother said he was shot.
Mario's little cousin Maddison Heard was at the vigil and said she can not fathom the loss.
"He was big and bold, but didn't nobody do nothing to him," Maddison said. "He didn't do anything to nobody. That really hurt me."
She said Mario was usually the cousin who cheered her up. But now she has to process why someone would kill him -- with one less shoulder to lean on.
"When I first heard it, it just made me cry because he always made me feel better when I see him," she said.
Family remember Mario Bailey
Dozens of other loved ones shared that same sentiment at the vigil. Friends, students, and family gathered to say goodbye. Mario's aunt, Destiny Heard, looked at the positive.
"He's in a better place," Destiny said. "It's sad that he had to be taken away from us so soon."
Several students also spoke directly to Mario's mother, Shanice, to tell her all about how he spread joy throughout the school.
"My nephew wanted us all to be happy," Destiny said. "So, I'm happy for my nephew. I'm not going to be shedding any tears."
The family said they could not comprehend why somebody would want to hurt Mario.
"Guns are not the way," Destiny said. "Guns--you're taking people's lives away. What if it was you? What if it was your son?"
In the midst of their own pain, they're optimistic justice will be served.
"To the person who did this, you made mistakes," Destiny said. "This mistake, you will learn from. God is the biggest teacher of us all. You took our nephew from us. That hurts."
The family told 11Alive that police had caught whoever did this. However, the East Point Police said this is still an ongoing investigation.
Mario's funeral service is being held on Saturday, Feb. 24, at Springfield Missionary Baptist Church in Atlanta at 1 p.m.