LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX NEWS) — The family of Tyler Smith gathered with dozens of community members Saturday to celebrate the life of the 18-year-old, who was killed by what police say was a self-inflicted gunshot wound on July 4.
Smith's grandmother, Necee Anderson, and other family members were joined by community advocates at the event in Lexington.
"We're not here to blame anyone. We're not even here to focus on what happened. We're just here to celebrate his life," Anderson said.
Anderson described her grandson as someone driven by a desire to improve the lives of those around him.
"He's always been the kid that is my fixer. How do we make life better? How do we change things? That's the best way to describe him. He's soft. He's compassionate," Anderson said.
For more than a month, the Anderson family has been demanding more answers surrounding Smith's death. On Wednesday, 20-year-old Bryce Chestnut entered a not guilty plea in court on charges of evidence tampering.
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Anderson said she wants the community to know the full scope of who her grandson was.
"We want the world to know who Tyler was, how big he was, how big he is, how big he'll continue to be, because as long as I have breath in my body, he will be this huge gigantic name that will resonate over Lexington, Kentucky," Anderson said.
Gun violence advocates also attended the gathering in support of the family. Davita Gatewood, who serves on a gun violence committee with KFTC (Kentuckians For The Commonwealth), said she connected personally with the family's pain.
"I was devastated," Gatewood said.
Gatewood said her own experience as a gun violence survivor drives her advocacy.
"Like I said, I'm a gun violence survivor. I'm sitting on a nine-year-old cold case with my family and my son's father, so I totally understand the injustice of the system and how we are dismissed and we're not heard," Gatewood said.
Anderson said she is leaning on her community to get through her grief.
"That's how I'm living my life right now, 10 seconds at a time. People say one day at a time. Many times I don't have one day, so I have to live them in 12th increments. This 10 seconds I might be okay, the next I may not, but this, my support system, my village is invaluable," Anderson said.
