Hundreds of supporters attended a candlelight vigil in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Saturday night in remembrance of Xavier Louis-Jacques.
Louis-Jacques, 19, was shot and killed near a basketball court on Pemberton Street in Cambridge one week ago.
"Unfortunately, this was an assassination. Xavier was a leader in this community," said Ronic Louis-Jacques, Xavier's father, while addressing the crowd at the vigil.
Get Boston local news, weather forecasts, lifestyle and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC Boston’s newsletters.
Rayschell McCants, Xavier's mother, said it meant a lot to her to see so many people attend the event in remembrance of her son. She said she wants people to know that her son was a good person.
"So often when young, Black boys are murdered, people automatically assume it's related to gang or drug violence," McCants said. "Xavier was not that kid."
Local
In-depth news coverage of the Greater Boston Area.
Xavier Louis-Jacques loved sneakers and will be buried in a pair of Nikes signed by loved ones, including his godmother, Natasha Anderson.
"It just says "Love you always, Nadine.' We had a running joke about my middle name, and I told him I'd give him $1 million if he could remember it, my full name, so he used to just call me Nadine," Anderson said.
The young man's funeral service will be held on Friday.
Police have not made any arrests in the case.
