Hundreds of people filled the sky with balloons, chanting "Forever 14," for the boy shot outside a vacant home in East Price Hill last week.
Friends, family and neighbors filled Mount Echo Park Tuesday night to remember 14-year-old Rakeem Blair Jr., a teen known for his playful spirit and loving energy.
Relatives and friends have said Rakeem has died, but officials have not yet confirmed his death.
Rakeem played youth football for the Cincinnati Raiders and enjoyed riding bikes and playing basketball, his friends recounted.
"He was taken from us far too soon, and we are struggling to make sense of a loss this painful," Rakeem's aunt Zy Johnson wrote on an online fundraiser for him. "Rakeem was just a kid with his whole life ahead of him. He had
dreams to chase, memories to make, and so much more life to live."
Rakeem was shot on Warsaw Avenue outside a vacant home Aug. 18, described by its neighbors as a "problem house" where drug-use and dealing are rampant. The house is now covered in painted memorials for Rakeem.
"Long live Rakeem," "RIP forever 14," "Fly high," read some of the messages.
City officials have since added signs to the home, warning it has been ordered vacant and to keep out. A city spokeswoman said the city received a complaint about the house being blighted four days before the shooting.
Cincinnati police have not offered any updates about the shooting, including any information about circumstances of the shooting or possible suspects.
About 8 p.m., hundreds of people touched by Rakeem and his death surrounded his mom with balloons in hand.
"He said he always wanted to go viral," Rakeem's mom said moments before the balloons were released. "And now he is."
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: 'Forever 14.' Community mourns boy shot in East Price Hill
