When Andre Montgomery was shot and killed on March 14, 2016, the lives of his family members changed forever.
The aspiring music artist was 21 years old. On October 14, he would have turned 22.
His family gathered with friends and community leaders to celebrate a bittersweet moment.
“It’s been hard,” his mother Michell Griggs said. “Really hard more so in the month of October because it’s both of our birthdays. I can celebrate but he can’t celebrate so we celebrated for him. He should have been here. He was supposed to be here.”
Those who attended his birthday participated in a balloon release in Montgomery’s memory.
“Just trying to take it day by day,” his brother Darren Griggs said. “Little things that remind us of him every day, so we just try to do the best we can to move on and talk with each other as much as we can.”
“Family is everything,” said Michell. “It’s good support.”
A reward has been offered for information in Montgomery’s case.
“It drives us a little bit crazy because we don’t know anything at all,” said Darren. “And for the simple fact that we’re here and it happened somewhere else, that makes it even worse.”
“Hopefully one day we’ll have our closure, and to answer the biggest question which is ‘why?’ Why’d this happen to him,” said Darren.
