LYNCHBURG, Va. – People in Lynchburg remembered an E.C. Glass High School football player who was shot and killed earlier this week.
Hundreds attended a vigil for 18-year-old Dre'yon Browley at the E.C. Glass football field Sunday evening. The teenager died Thursday, and another E.C. Glass football player remains in the hospital after the shooting.
"He was a good kid," said Porcia Moore, a family friend who had known Browley since he was little. "I talk to his mother and his father often. They're holding on the best way they can, just trying to stay strong for everyone else."
Football played a big role in the vigil. Browley's E.C. Glass teammates wore their jerseys during the memorial, and attendees received ribbons with the jersey numbers of Browley and his injured teammate.
Many high school football players from neighboring schools wore their jerseys and showed up at the service. Brookville High School's team said they showed up because E.C. Glass players supported them after one of their teammates died in a car crash last year.
"It's a thing of respect," said Brookville football player Josh Gunter. "I respect them just as they respect us."
"It's hard," added KJ Ruhland, who is Gunter's teammate at Brookville. "We can feel their pain because we've actually been in their shoes."
A GoFundMe campaign has been started for funeral expenses. If you want to donate, visit the GoFundMe website.