KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- Loved ones gathered Wednesday to celebrate Temetrion Hegler's birthday. He would have turned 18. Temetrion was 17 when he was shot and killed in a domestic violence incident in January. Police say his step-grandfather, Bruce Embry, pulled the trigger after an argument.
"I remember him laughing; he was always cracking jokes and making me laugh," said Jordan Tillman, Temetrion's Big Brother mentor. "He was a big-hearted kid. He would do anything for you, you know?"
His grandmother, Iqullia Hegler, said words couldn't describe the pain of losing Temetrion. "I know I have to keep living on for my son, because that`s what he would want me to do," Iqullia told FOX 17 News.
Temetrion Hegler's friends and family say they'll remember him as an upbeat guy who was always wore a smile. He was a senior set to graduate from Loy Norrix High School in Kalamazoo. His friends say he loved sports and wanted to go to college to be an athletic trainer.
Embry has been charged with his murder and due back in court in July.
