The mother of an 18-year-old teen shot and killed in an apartment complex parking lot in Murfreesboro said the arrest of her son's alleged killers has been bittersweet.
Officials with the Murfreesboro Police Department said Kendrick Love was shot in the chest when an altercation broke out at the Gateway Apartments on Lascassas Pike.
He was rushed to the hospital but later died.
"You never expect it to be one of your kids and for it to be so close to home. I still don't want to believe, and I still keep looking for Kendrick to come home," Alison Weiler, Love's mother, told NewsChannel 5.
Since the shooting on Tuesday, police arrested and charged two juveniles and Jeremy Noah Soto-Morales with first degree murder. They said the trio attempted to rob Love.
"I could only imagine how their parents are feeling knowing their children were capable of taking someone's life with no regard," Weiler said.
Weiler learned about the news with other family members and friends during a gathering following Love's Celebration of Life Service on Saturday.
"I had every faith and confidence in the Murfreesboro Police Department and the detectives to get them, and they did," Weiler said. "Everybody got in better spirits, and we all said Kendrick was with us that night."
The past few days have been agonizing for her family, but the recent arrests struck a happier tone, even for just one night.
"Everyone was hooting and hollering after we got the news and cheering it on," Weiler added.
Weiler said she had never seen or heard of any of the suspects' names but admitted her son had kept information from her before.
Nevertheless, she hopes people will remember her son for having a big heart and loving his family. He was described as being silly and a jokester.
The recent homicide was the latest in a string of shooting incidents at apartment complexes surrounding Middle Tennessee State University.
Murfreesboro city officials have unveiled a plan to help reduce the crime.
A gofundme account has been set up to help the family with funeral costs. To help, click on this link.
