BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — On March 1, 2021, Lorenzo Lee Jones III was shot and killed on Hertel Avenue. One year later, his family and friends honored him through a balloon release.
"We're not celebrating anything. I wish I wasn't here. Not for my son, especially," Torina Bigham, Jones's mother, said.
Lorenzo was 26-years-old when he was killed.
"He didn't deserve nothing that happened to him. He was good," Aysia Bigham, Jones's aunt, said.
He was killed on a Monday, and had planned to release his own clothing line that Friday. Friends and family sported his brand "Pucs" while they released yellow and purple balloons, the colors of his favorite basketball team, the Lakers.
Jones's family said he was their protector, taken away in an instant.
"To me, he was very caring. He would always check in with me. He was my guy. He loved a lot," Aysia said.
"That's who taught me how to love. That's who taught me what love was. What love is, because I still love my son. They can't take that from me. They can't take that," Torina said.
Jones's murder remains unsolved.
"Every morning I wake up and I'm still processing it. It hits me every morning when I wake up. We don't have any answers. We don't know who did it. We don't have any type of justice. I'm upset about it. We need closure. We need closure," Aysia said.
"My Lord said let vengeance be his. I still have my faith. I haven't lost my faith. I trust and believe that God will take care of it," Torina said.
