More than 100 mourners turned out at Chester Playground in Brownsville for 16-year-old Oluwadurotimi Oyebola, or Timi as he was called.
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The high school junior went to play basketball last Friday after school with friends, when he was suddenly shot in the head and killed.
"If your kids are not safe in the playground, where are they safe?", said community activist Michael Thomas.
Timi was regarded as friendly, outgoing, and smart. But most endearing, said those who knew him, was his passion for basketball.
"He always had a basketball in his hand. Everyday Timi had a basketball," said Tracie Cooper of the middle school staff.
"He was a competitor. He pushed me to be better," said a classmate, Jalen S.
"If you saw Timi you would rarely see him in a bad mood. He was just always happy, always made people laugh," said one of his varsity basketball teammates, Andre Jean.
Police report two shots were fired from about 100 feet away. The crowd ran but Timi collapsed.
Investigators do not believe he was the intended target. So far there have been no arrests.
"They will get caught. You can run but you cannot hide," said community activist Dr. Burchell Marcus.
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There are plans for another vigil on Friday with Timi's family as they will march from his school to the playground where he died.
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