LOGANVILLE, Ga. — Harrison Strother received a life changing phone call last Thursday afternoon. A family member broke the news he never in a million years imagine he'd receive.
"That was a call you’d never imagine," he said. "A call you don’t want to get. Someone calls you and says, 'Your daughter shot herself. Killed your grandson.' Those kinds of calls you see them on TV, you hear about them, but you never think it would happen to you."
Harrison is 15-year-old Alexander Postell's grandfather, and Nicole Strother's father.
Strother and Postell were found in their home Thursday by the latter's older sister. Police said it appears Strother shot Postell before shooting herself.
"We’re blessed that he had been in our life for such a short period of time... but he was so loved. Not doing [well], but you prevail. Trust in god. To be absent in the body is to be present with the Lord. So you just trust in God."
For one of Postell's close friends and neighbor, Mikayla Wilson, the news came differently.
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"My mom she actually took me to this park, she checked me out of school and she told me about it," she recalled. " I didn’t really believe that my friend – someone I just saw a couple of weeks ago could be gone. It was a little bit hard and kind of not real."
Friends and family all gathered at Bay Creek Park, holding light blue balloons. Each person wrote a message for Postell on their balloon, then hugged one another for comfort.
After a few minutes, they gathered in a half circle, and shared fond memories. From Postell's love for chicken nuggets, to his love for video games. He was a cadet at Riverside Military Academy.
His grandfather, who flew in from Detroit when he got the news, talked about how he used to always pray over Postell before parting ways.
"I would pray over him before I’d leave. The last time I didn’t pray over him, he called me and said, 'Granddad, I’m mad at you' and I said, 'Why?' He said, 'Because you didn’t pray for me,' Strother recalled, while trying to hold back tears.
Then, they released their balloons towards the sky. Wilson helped plan this event, where dozens gathered.
"To have our memories go out to him in some type of way and be able to release that... so he can feel our love in some kind of way and be able to release some of that sadness," she explained.
Shedarren Fanning has seen that pain first-hand in many occasions. As the President and CEO of 501-C3 nonprofit Badge to Family Outreach and as a Atlanta Police Sergeant, he has been trying to come up with solutions to help the community and combat violence.
"This has been the most involvement that Badge to Families has had in vigils and funerals," he said. "Normally, we're doing things to build cohesive relationships, and the outcome doesn't leave in tears unless they're tears of joy."
That's because normally, his organization works to strengthen relations between law enforcement and the community.
The nonprofit also aims to keep youth out of trouble by forming mentorships, hosting sports tournaments, organizing community cleanups and fundraising for different causes.
“Some people have just given up, they’ve lost hope," he said. "That's a reason why some of the crime is up ticking, some of the homes are broken, some of the communities are falling downward versus coming stronger."
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Fanning was able to raise thousands of dollars for the family of 6-month-old Grayson Fleming who was shot and killed by a stray bullet at a Food Mart in Northwest Atlanta.
“If we can instill hope back into the community, I believe that that can be the key factors for people to not want to commit crimes, to want to keep pushing," he said."
Also, last year the organization raised nearly $4,000 to send 55 at-risk youth to summer camp. They are trying to do the same this year.
"We were able to provide them a service that they would probably never experienced if we didn't step up," he said. "We try to have organic programs that fit the need for that particular community and neighborhood."
He hopes communities don't have to feel the pain being felt by Postell's friends and family during this time.
“He made me realize to treasure every day I have with my close friends and make sure to always check up on them, too," said Wilson. "I hope today we can remember Alex by the happy memories and not with the sadness we have here and continue to remember him being a light."
To volunteer or donate to Badge to Family Outreach, click here.