This happened where I grew up, in an extremely nice area in the suburbs and I know this young 14 year old boy's sister. It's an awful story! I, myself, lost my 6 year old brother in 2006 to a drowning so I feel their pain. What an awful way to go. We started Connor Cares Foundation (
CONNOR CARES foundation In Honor of Connor) and at our next event, we will have a table set up for Chris Jones to raise funds for the family, they've been going through a rough time even before this and funerals are not cheap.
Mourners share memories at funeral for 14-year-old Crofton boy killed in assault -- baltimoresun.com
Christopher David Jones had a penchant for making silly faces in photographs: His head cocked to the side, his green eyes turned inward, his mouth gaping. In other photos, he struck a sly smile, the typical antics of a 14-year-old boy.
Christopher was endearing in other ways, too, his family and friends said, winning over his girlfriend's father with deference and a shared love of sports.
Those were some of the photos and stories shared with the hundreds of people who crowded inside Riva Trace Baptist Church for Christopher's funeral Wednesday, four days after the
Crofton teenager died after he was attacked while riding his bicycle home. Authorities have charged two Crofton teens with manslaughter in his death.
The loss of Christopher, described as an amiable teen who had mentored a disabled student and who loved to play ice hockey, has shaken the sense of safety in the suburban Anne Arundel County community. Christopher's parents had transferred the ninth-grader from Arundel High School to South River High in late August because he was being bullied, family friends said.
The Rev. Dennis Gray, who presided over Christopher's services, urged parents to teach their children that value in life does not come from fame or cars or other material wealth, but from "kindness and gentleness."
"We have failed our children," Gray said. "I'm asking the leaders in this room to guide our children."
Christopher died Saturday after he was riding his bike on Nantucket Drive near Wellfleet Lane about 4:15 p.m. and was approached by a group of five to seven youths, police said. Two beat Christopher's head with their fists, according to charging documents, and Christopher started to pedal away, but fell on the pavement and hit his head.
Authorities have charged Javel M. George, 16, as an adult with manslaughter, and a 14-year-old boy is charged as a juvenile. The Baltimore Sun does not name minors charged as juveniles.
Teresa Sentz-Smith, whose son,
Jeff Smith, called Christopher his best friend, struggled to put her thoughts into words, sobbing after the service. "My son's whole world has been turned upside-down," said Sentz-Smith. "Christopher was loved by so many."
Dozens of uniformed members of the
Prince George's County Sheriff's Office, where Christopher's father is a deputy, attended the service. Christopher's silver casket was adorned with burgundy and gold flowers.
There were many tears. And in spite of the sadness, there was laughter, too.
His sister, his uncle and other family members spoke of Christopher's athletic prowess, his plans to save money for a jaunt to go water skiing in Ocean City this summer and how he asked his uncle to show him how to apply hair gel, his own father's thinning hair not being suitable.
Christopher liked to ice skate at a rink near
Odenton, and he played paintball with his church youth ministry.
His sister, Carrie Jones, spoke of her younger brother's humor, and how, like all siblings, they argued often. At a candlelight vigil for Christopher earlier this week, Carrie's brown hair caught fire, albeit briefly, when it accidentally brushed against one of the lit candles.
"That was Chris," she said.
As the service grew to a close, more photos of Christopher flashed across a large screen. Amid them was a note from Christopher, likely a class assignment, that may offer his family some solace.
In a child's hand, it said: "One thing I'm thankful for is my family."