MANITOWOC (NBC 26) — About 100 people gathered Sunday at Red Arrow Park in Manitowoc to remember 25-year-old Jaisiah Owens, who was shot and killed last week.
The tribute included releasing balloons, lighting candles, and sending lanterns out onto Lake Michigan. Hundreds of candles illuminated the park as friends and family honored Owens' memory.
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Friends and family say Owens left a lasting impact on everyone he met.
"When you lose somebody like him, it's almost like you feel like you'll never meet another person like that," Charronda Nelson said.
Nelson says she shared some of life's biggest moments with Jaisiah, including her daughter's first steps.
"I tried to get her to walk for weeks and she wasn't having it," Nelson said. "He came, he was maybe there for 20 minutes and she got up and started walking."
The Nolden family says Owens became like family to them as he grew up alongside Lindsay and Jack. They first met through the Big Brothers Big Sisters program when Jaisiah was just 7 years old.
"Making dinner together, and like playing in the backyard and playing in the cul de sac until the street lights went on then we had to go home," members of the Nolden family said.
"I think when you join a mentorship program like Big Brothers Big Sisters you think maybe you're going to do some good but really it's the other way around because he was so impactful to us and really just so wonderful and I didn't see that coming," the Nolden family said.
Those who gathered Sunday say they'll remember his smile and the way he made people feel seen. Loved ones will continue to celebrate Jaisiah's life while pushing for justice in his case.
20-year-old Kirk Dunn has been arrested and charged with first-degree intentional homicide in connection to the shooting. Dunn claims he fired in self defense. He is being held in jail on a $500,000 bond.
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