JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Two years ago today, 13-year-old Prince Holland was killed in a drive-by shooting while heading home from football practice in Northwest Jacksonville.
Holland was in an SUV when gunfire erupted, killing him and injuring the driver, Jaylen Burroughs. Burroughs was shot 10 times while shielding Holland and three other children.
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Two suspects, Kentrevious Garard and Marcel Johnson, were later arrested in connection with the shooting.
“It’s been two years, but it’s been three Christmases, three New Years, three birthdays for me,” said Chantel Brown, Holland’s mother. “He was killed three days before my birthday. It’s just another day to me, another day to celebrate him.”
Brown said she spends her days thinking about the milestones she and her son will never share.
“He doesn’t get to do Thanksgiving,” she said. “Thanksgiving was his thing. He doesn’t get to do the Easter. He doesn’t get to do Valentine’s Day. He doesn’t get to do the Fourth of July. He liked shooting fireworks. He can’t go to the fair. My son can’t even go to his eighth-grade graduation. He doesn’t get to walk for prom or be prom king. I can’t take him to buy his first car. He’s not here.”
When asked about her most vivid memory from that tragic night, Brown said, “The fact that I couldn’t hold my son, I couldn’t touch my son. The fact that I was pushed down so I could go through the tape.”
A recent motion to dismiss charges filed by one of the defendants’ attorneys stirred deep emotions for Brown.
“This is my first time hearing about it,” she said. “Rage, anger, hate. I’m not a hateful person, but that’s what it makes you feel. If it’s your child, how can you let somebody get off?”
Despite the pain and frustration, Brown is determined to honor her son’s memory. She has started two businesses and a foundation inspired by his compassionate spirit.
“We want to do things the way he did,” she said. “He helped everybody. If you were in trouble, he’d sit with you to keep you out of trouble. That’s what we want to do.”
Brown and her family have also been giving back to the community, providing food and jackets to the homeless, with hopes of expanding their outreach.
They are now hoping to purchase a food truck to expand their catering business since Holland enjoyed cooking. Brown said 10% of the profit will go towards giving back to the community.