It was last year when DeAndre Bing texted his mother and asked if he could visit his friend in North Philadelphia. It would be the last time she ever heard from him.
“The last year has been horrible,” said Bing’s mother Tiffany Williams. “Horrible. I will never, ever get used to not having my son. He’s the only child, my only child. He was my best friend.”
On January 23, 2015, Bing, who was a 17-year-old Senior at Eastern University Academy Charter School and set to attend college later that year, was shot and killed in North Philadelphia. On Sunday friends and family gathered at Lawncrest Park on Rising Sun Avenue for a candlelight vigil to celebrate his life and legacy.
“He would say, ‘Pop Pop you alright?’ And I would say, ‘Yeah, I’m doing good,’” said Bing’s grandfather. “I just miss him a whole lot.”
In a tribute to Bing on their website, the Academy described him as a talented hip hop artist and school leader with interests in music, business and entrepreneurship.
“Even though we lost him, our love for him runs deep,” said Omar Barlow, the CEO and Principal of Eastern University Academy.
Loved ones told NBC10 the purpose of Sunday’s event wasn’t to mourn Bing’s death but rather to shine a light on his life.
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“I know he’s smiling down now,” Williams said. “He loves this. He loved to be around people laughing, joking. He loves this.”
Eastern University Academy Is establishing a scholarship in Bing’s memory.
Bing's murder remains unsolved. If you have any information, please call Philadelphia Police.
