Family holds vigil, demands justice after teenage son shot and killed in mistaken identity case
CANARSIE, Brooklyn (WABC) -- It's been one year since a 19-year-old man was shot and killed in front of his own home.
His family and members of the community gathered in Brooklyn Wednesday night still searching for answers and hoping for justice.
One year ago, in front of the Montrose family's home, Christian Josiah Montrose was shot and killed in what police believe to be a case of mistaken identity.
Someone pulled up in a car next to Montrose and shot him. Montrose had never been in any trouble.
The police still haven't made an arrest.
"My son was innocent. And the ground right there, that's where his blood was shed," said Christian's mother Amanda Montrose.
Friends and neighbors and others who have lost loved ones in unsolved crimes gathered in front of the home on East 104th Street where a memorial started one year ago.
It is now a twinkling tribute.
They shared stories and demanded Montrose's killer not get away with what they did.
"We have to ask, why is it so easy for someone to come, roll up on somebody's house and shoot somebody, right there?" Christian's twin sister Crystal Montrose said.
He had a twin sister among his six siblings.
He was only 19 when he died but several loved ones described a reassuring quality about him.
"And that big smile, 'Dad it's ok, I got this.' That's what I miss about him the most. I really, really, really miss him," his father Shawn Montrose said.
"He really was sincere when he would talk to you. He would try to connect to you," his brother Andrew Montrose said.
Members of the community wrapped the Montrose family in support.
They're asking anyone who may know anything about the shooting to speak up with information that can help the family heal.
"This is not easy. And I want this criminal to come off the street. And my biggest fear with it, if you ask me what is my biggest fear, it's that this monster is still out there killing somebody else," Amanda Montrose said.
"My mother and father deserve some peace of mind after this amount of time," Andrew Montrose said.
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