At a vigil on Wednesday, residents called for the city to shut down both the convenience store that adjoined the gas station and a car wash next door in honor of Tyler. “Do it for the kids,” someone said.
Tyler’s vigil raised a lot of awareness to the surging violence in Dallas recently. According to Dallas News, last month alone had 41 homicides, the city’s highest monthly tally since the 1990s.
Tyler’s mom, Tina Tyler, expressed her pain: “I don’t know what to say. Someone took my son from me.”
A major heartbreaking moment occurred at the vigil when Malik’s friend MaQuesta Martin Jr. made a plea to stop the violence in the community. While remembering Malik, MaQuesta tearfully explained: