Hundreds gathered Wednesday night at Rose Hill Community Center to pay homage to Jamar Kilgoe, who was killed in the basement of the community center Monday.
“I’ll miss him for a long, long time,” said his father, Michael Fletcher. “No one should have to go through this.”
Kilgoe, 30, was shot dead while recording music in the Rose Hill Community Center’s downstairs studio before work Monday.
Family, friends and community members gathered in a tight circle at the center’s parking lot Wednesday night to pray for their fallen loved one. Friends embraced each other and others stood silently. With teary eyes and shaky hands, organizers passed around candles and lighters to the group.
The cause for the killing is unknown and the killer remains at large. Police did not have new details on the incident Wednesday, but Rose Hill Community Center clarified that the killer was not a regular participant at the center.
“Our investigators are actively searching for any leads that would assist them in identifying the perpetrator,” said Officer First Class Tracey Duffy, a county police spokeswoman. “At this time, the suspect has not been identified.”
Wednesday’s vigil was organized by Pastor Derrick Johnson, who serves at the family’s church in Wilmington.
“You don’t see a bunch of teddy bears or alcohol here,” Johnson said. “You see people who all have the same question: Why?”
Kilgoe, a father of two, was a well-known local rapper who went by the stage name Young Kolb. The artist served as an engineer at the community center, his father said. He worked with other local artists and local children to produce and record music at the center.
“The Rose Hill Community Center would like to express our deepest sympathies to family of the victim of this senseless tragedy. Nothing like this has ever happened before,” a post on the center’s Facebook page said. “While we’re shocked, we’re also grateful for the tremendous outpouring of love and support from the people that use this center every day.”
Cameras are pointed at doors leading into the center, but Duffy said she was “unable to discuss the operation of the security cameras.”
Among the speakers was Aria Washington, Kilgoe’s aunt.
“He’s the heartache of the city right now,” she said. “I hope the city is paying attention.”
The center offers a variety of services, including a food pantry, day care, a senior center and a studio where people could record their music.
The community center is near where the county plans to build a $21 million library and “innovation campus” that leaders hope will spur a revitalization of the Route 9 corridor.
County Executive Tom Gordon said security has been one of the administration’s primary concerns with the library, pointing out that the county plans to build a police substation “right there in the center.” He told The News Journal on Tuesday that police are “putting a full court press” on the investigation.
Community members ended on a somber note with a nod to the rally’s message: “This is not a moment, this is a movement.”
Anyone with information pertaining to this incident is asked to call county police at (302) 573-2800. Citizens can submit tips anonymously by going to www.NCCPD.com and following the link for Tips and Alerts.
Tipsters may also call Crime Stoppers at (800) TIP-3333. Citizens who currently have the Smartphone App are encouraged to use the “submit tip” tab to submit tips. Select a topic by using the “drop down” and complete the tip by clicking “submit.”
STORY CURATED BY ADAM WAGNER, GRETA IVERSON AND ESTEBAN PARRA
Contact Greta Iverson at (302) 324-2771, giverson@delawareonline.com or on Twitter @greta_wade. Contact Esteban Parra at (302) 324-2299, eparra@delawareonline.com or Twitter @eparra3.
Greta Iverson 