Mom mourns teen shot to death on NC family park trip. ‘First Christmas without him’
A trip to the park turned into a nightmare for one North Carolina family.
Police responded at 6:30 p.m Nov. 17 to Fourth of July Park in Kernersville after reports of a teenager shot, according to the Kernersville Police Department.
Marcus Lee Key, 14, was found with “a gunshot wound to the head,” police said in a news release.
“The ambulance (paramedic) told me he was sorry and that he was dead,” Key’s mom, Julia Gwyn, told WGHP. “They wouldn’t let me hold him. I just wanted to hold him. I just want justice for him. I want whoever shot him in jail.”
The Kernersville Police Department told McClatchy News that they are investigating what led up to the shooting but believe it was “an isolated incident” with no threat to the public.
Marcus was at the park with his mom and other family members when he was shot, WXII and other news outlets reported.
“Anybody that knew Marcus, there was never a dull moment with Marcus,” Gwyn told WGHP. “He’ll pick a fight with you, he’ll argue with you, but he was mama’s little boy. This is going to be my first Christmas without him. My first Thanksgiving. He loved the holidays, he loved being around family.”
Anyone with information about the shooting can call the Kernersville Police Department’s Criminal Investigation Division at (336) 996-3177.
Kernersville is about 93 miles northwest of Raleigh.
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