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Tamani Turner, also known as Tajohn, died on Thursday night, April 6 after he was shot twice in the chest in Mount Vernon on Garden Avenue just south of East 4th Street.
Born in 2005, Turner grew up in Mount Vernon and eventually became a gifted football player, at one point attending Archbishop Stepinac High on a sports scholarship.
At the time of his death, Turner had been a student at Mount Vernon High School and had been out on spring break, according to Mount Vernon Acting Superintendent K. Veronica Smith.
He leaves behind his parents, Paula and D, as well as a sister, Dejzhane.
Now, as Turner's family prepares to lay their son and brother to rest, a family friend Jared Logan has started a GoFundMe page to help them raise the funds for funeral expenses.
Logan, who wrote on the fundraiser page that Turner was "taken away from us much too soon," added that the 18-year-old's life was "more than a beginning and an end."
Since the fundraiser was started on Monday, April 10, just over $6,500 had already been raised as of Thursday, April 13 out of the $30,000 goal.
All of the funds will be going toward laying Turner to rest in his hometown of Mount Vernon, Logan wrote.
Anyone interested in donating to the GoFundMe page can do so by clicking here.
A suspect in the shooting that led to Turner's death, 33-year-old Mount Vernon resident Akeem Grant, has since been apprehended by police.
More information about Grant's charges has not yet been released.
Mount Vernon Police ask that anyone with information regarding the incident contact the MVPD Detective Division at 914-665-2510. All calls will be kept confidential. You can also submit an anonymous tip via our “Text-A-Tip” by texting “MVPD” and your tip to 847411.
This continues to be a developing story. Check back to Daily Voice for updates.
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