Monday, Oct. 13, 2008

Family of shooting victim seeks justice

The party was almost complete.

There were balloons.

There were streamers.

There was food.

But there was no birthday boy.

Regardless, the family of slain Ed'Allante "Kino" Timmons gathered Sunday to commemorate his life and celebrate the day he would have turned 21.

Almost a year has passed since Timmons was gunned down by masked men Nov. 27 as he rapped inside a recording studio in the 1600 block of Sixth Avenue East in Palmetto.

His killers remain at large.

Gathered beneath a large oak tree in the back yard of his mother's Palmetto home, Timmons' family members shed tears of sorrow and joy as they recalled special moments in his life.

"I remember last Thanksgiving he talked me into cooking dinner," his mother Shawnvenia Timmons-Baker said, laughing. "He wanted everybody to be together. He said the year before I hurt his feelings because he had to go to his aunts' houses to eat because I didn't cook."

Then, as a warm breeze swept by and a dark cloud stopped overhead, Timmons mother put her head down.

"This Thanksgiving's going to be hard," she said, glancing up as Timmons' 6-year-old brother, Trenquallin Edwards, ran by a trio of tables covered with streamers and balloons. "All the holidays have."

For now, Timmons' mother said she will find comfort looking into the eyes of her son's 16-month-old daughter, Ed'Yarri Timmons.

"She looks just like her daddy," she said, as she held her granddaughter close.

"Sometimes when I'm looking at her I say, "Is this you Kino?"

Timmons wasn't the only person whose birthday was celebrated Sunday.

His twin sister Lil'Allante also turned 21.

"It was kinda hard, sharing the day without him," she said. "I still think of him every day."

Prior to the party, Timmons' mother said she was hesitant about throwing a party for her deceased son.

"Then I thought about how I wanted all the family to be here . . . together to honor him," she said.

"To let him know he's loved and that we miss him," his aunt, Harriett Powell, added.

The family spent most of the afternoon sitting in white chairs, frequently glancing at a 20-by-30-inch portrait of Timmons that rested against the large oak, covered in Spanish moss.

Almost all the family members sported T-shirts with a photo of Timmons on the front. One read, "Stop the violence. Turn yourself in and turn to Jesus."

In the meantime, Timmons' family wants justice served.

"God knows I need closure," said his grandmother. "That's my first grandson."

At least four people saw Timmons get shot, said Manatee County Sheriff's spokesman, Dave Bristow. Someone was also in the house when the gunmen came in, but fled when bullets began flying.

A dark-colored sports utility vehicle was seen leaving the scene. Neighbors have described it as a Ford Explorer.

According to the sheriff's office, the men who shot Timmons most likely knew him and planned to kill him.

Although there are no suspects at this time, Timmons' case remains active, Bristow said.

Anyone with information in Timmons' death is asked to contact the sheriff's department at 747-3011.