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Community gathers to remember murdered man who was a mentor to Detroit teens

Posted at 11:01 PM, Nov 03, 2016
and last updated 2016-11-03 23:30:46-04

More than 100 teenagers gathered outside of East English Village Prep Academy Thursday afternoon, remembering Jeremaine Tilmon.

Tilmon was shot to death on Chatsworth Street early Thursday morning. They told stories, held candles, and hugged his wife Taminko.

Taminko Tilmon told us her husband saved countless lives with his volunteer mentor work and crusade to get gang members to change their lives. She says, "He did what he did, cause he was good at it. It was always about the community, never about him."

Tilmon held peace walks and rallies throughout the city, and his wife can't believe he lost his life to the very thing he fought so hard to end.

Taminko Tilmon went on to say, "I'm empty. I'm numb. I have no words." According to everyone who knew him, he had a great belief in young people. His wife says she forgives the shooter, because she, "can't keep walking around with all this anger."

Police are still investigating this deadly shooting. Tilmon was the stepfather of Davontae Sanford.

He's the young man who was wrongfully convicted of murder when he was 14, and recently released from prison a few months ago.