The Citrus Park community is in mourning after the tragic loss of 16-year-old Peter "PJ" Hyman, who was fatally shot outside Citrus Park Town Center mall. PJ’s vigil, filled with raw emotion and calls for change, took place at Julian B. Lane Riverfront Park where family, friends, and supporters gathered to remember, as reported by WFLA.
Bianca Cooper, PJ’s mother, according to an interview by WFLA, expressed deep anguish over her son's death, “I can hardly sleep at night because I think about my son so much, this is going to a new road we are going to have to get used to not being with him.”
Citing a WTSP report, the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office has stated that a fight between two groups of boys spiraled into the shooting that ended PJ’s life. The alleged shooter, 15-year-old Samuel Oquendo, has been arrested and is facing second-degree homicide charges, which the authorities have concluded to try as an adult.
“We shouldn't get over it we should always remember it. Who he was. Who his legacy is. He was one of the greatest people I know, he was my hero,” said Bryant Fayson, PJ’s pastor at Greater Mount Carmel Church, as WTSP reported. Cooper, while speaking to the strength drawn from community support, expressed not just the profound sadness but also the anger stemming from the incident, “I will never get to have him kiss me on my cheek and say ma I love you, but you will forever get to hear you son's voice,” she told WFLA.
As Bay News 9 adds, Cooper stated relief over the arrest, but also a poignant recognition of her son's unfulfilled potential, “My heart is heavy, but it’s not as heavy,” she said. "I feel like he’ll be able to rest in peace now that we’ve found who this person is. He just was full of life, and he had so much of his life ahead of him, and he was going to be something great."
