At A Funeral???
By: Tommy “Tj” Sotomayor

Detectives search for gunman in shooting leaving 2 dead outside church after funeral

RIVIERA BEACH, Fla. – Instead of celebrating Super Bowl LIV Sunday, a family is grieving the death of a 15-year-old Deerfield Beach High School football player who died after a Saturday shooting outside of a church in Palm Beach County.

Terrance Jackson, a sophomore, attended his grandfather’s funeral before a gunman killed him outside of Victory City Church, 163 W. 20 St., in Riviera Beach.

“Some type of disagreement between the family that kind of escalated … and got out of control,”said Tywuante D. Lupoe, Victory City Church’s senior pastor.

ShotSpotter technology detected 13 rounds were fired about 2:30 p.m., Riviera Beach police officers said. The shooting left Jackson and Royce Freeman, 47, dead, and 30-year-old Shanita Miller wounded.

Authorities said Sunday that Miller is recovering from non-life-threatening injuries after being shot during the incident.

Detectives are still searching for the shooter on Sunday, saying they have several leads. Lupoe said the church had armed security and a Riviera Beach police officer during the funeral because of an ongoing family dispute.

“We informed [police] of the potential violence,” Lupoe said in a video published on Facebook. “Our tax dollars should ensure we get what we need in order for our citizens and families to be protected. If we request you be there, be there.”

Deerfield Beach high school football coach, Jevon Glenn, was in Auburn, Alabama for a college tour with Terrance’s teammates when he learned of the tragedy. Terrance was a defensive end and a linebacker.

The students, who were still grieving another teammate’s death, are visiting Florida State University on Super Bowl Sunday.

Jackson’s family started a GoFundMe page to help with funeral costs.

Bryce Gowdy, whose Dec. 30th death was ruled a suicide, was a Deerfield Beach High School football player who had been recruited by Georgia Tech and was supposed to be on campus on Jan. 6.

While many of the top high school recruits already signed with a college, National Signing Day is on Wednesday. Terrance had been watching the process closely. He was set to graduate from high school in 2022.