Telonn Horton was 29 years old when he was shot at Davis Street Park in April. Earlier in June, work began on a mural at the park to commemorate Horton’s Life. His mother, Jerell Horton, said the park was his happy place.
“That was his park. If I would call my son, if he didn't answer, I knew where to find him,” Jerell said.
Muralist Patrick Hershberger, also known as Bonus Saves, worked with Jerell to craft a mural that will commemorate Telonn’s life.
“I would love for people to remember that my son was always a cheerful spirit. He always told jokes, he cracked jokes,” Jerell said. “Well, he got that from me, but he was sincere.”
The mural overlooks Grant Street, and the park’s skate ramp sits directly above the mural. His aunt, Jacille Ware, says skateboarding was Telonn’s favorite thing.
“He loved just going there. Even if he didn't skate sometimes, he would just go and sit and watch the other people skate and try to give them pointers on what to do. You know, on how to ride the skateboard. And it was just a good place for him,” Ware said.
Ware said Telonn loved to spend time with family, dance, have fun and spread love.
He was also known in the community as “Rose Lonnie”, which is a name his mom Jerell said he gave himself as a kid after teaching himself to tie-dye a rose pattern into his t-shirts with bleach. But Ware says the family never called him that.
“We called him Lon,” Ware said. “Lon was always cheerful, always making people smile. He was never mean. Always had a joke about some of the most serious things.”
Vine Neighborhood Association Executive Director Steve Walsh said Telonn was a beloved fixture at the skate park and in the Vine Neighborhood community.
“The hope is that the mural will honor Lonnie’s legacy and provide an opportunity for healing to both his friends and family, and help us turn the page and make the park a place that people feel good about again,” Walsh said.
A small makeshift memorial to Telonn still stands at Davis Street Park, near the skate ramp. It's a gathering of items that represent him, including a can of Oberon — Jerell said Telonn became a Bell's beer lover after she started working as a filler operator at Bell's Brewery facility in Comstock.
The man accused of shooting and killing Telonn is charged with open murder, along with other weapon and drug-related charges. Jerell said she wants her son to be remembered as a protector, and doesn’t want people to assume he was involved in criminal activity just because of the way he died.
“My son was not a gangbanger,” Jerell said. “Telonn was not raised like that. Every time my son would see me in his presence, Telonn would always say ‘I love you Mom’, with a hug and a kiss every time.”
Jerell said family was everything to Telonn. In addition to his mother, father and close-knit extended family, he leaves behind a 10-year-old sister named Anna who was born when he was 19 years old.
“When she was born, he just right away embraced her. Right away,” Jerell said.
He was especially close with his many cousins. Telonn’s cousin Mariah Ware said she remembers him teaching her and her sister to skateboard.
“He is strong. I see him as super strong,” Ware said. “He was just always happy and there and just present in the moment and he was such an amazing person.”
A gun violence prevention rally will be held at the park on June 27. The event is open to the public and will also serve as an occasion to memorialize Telonn.
Organizers say they plan to have speakers, music and raffle items, and are hoping the mural will be complete despite recent rainy weather.
