PALM BAY, Fla. – Friends and family members of two teens found shot to death in Palm Bay on Christmas marched for justice Thursday ahead of a city council meeting.
The 14-year-old and 16-year-old victims were found dead in an abandoned area known as the “Compound.” The event on Thursday was called the “Justice Walk” and began at 5:45 p.m. on Eldron Boulevard and Malabar Road.
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The Palm Bay Police Department said officers initially found one victim with gunshot wounds and after a short time, police found another teen who was shot.
Chrisel Brown, the mother of the 14-year-old victim, identified her son to News 6 as Jeremiah Brown, a Bayside High School freshman, and shared family photos of the teen. Police did not identify the 16-year-old victim.
“He loved God. He loved football,” Chrisel Brown said. “He knew one day that he was gonna make it big.”
Jeremiah Brown’s family urged the community to help find whoever was responsible for his death.
“We need justice, you know? You should be afraid if these killers are still walking amongst us, you know, because it could be someone next,” Chrisel Brown said.
The “Compound” is an abandoned housing development in southwest Palm Bay near the intersection of J.A. Bombardier Boulevard and Kentucky Drive, typically used for ATVs and other activities, that is 12.2 square miles, according to Palm Bay police Lt. Michael Roberts.
Jeremiah’s grandmother, Carolyn Brown, told News 6 that she’s going to continue fighting for justice over his death.
“I’m not gonna stop until I find justice for my grandson,” she said. “I’m not gonna stop until there’s something down about that compound in which grandson was brutally murdered.”
No arrests have been made.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Palm Bay Police Department at 321-952-3456 or Crimeline at 1-800-423-8477.
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