A service of hope

Abdul Hakeem Van Croskey, 24, and D’amonta Harris, 30, were shot and killed during a New Year’s Day block party.

A community prayer service was held Monday near the site of a New Year’s Day shooting in southwest Ocala that claimed the lives of two men and sent four others to area hospitals.

Abdul Hakeem Van Croskey, 24, and D’amonta Harris, 30, died from their injuries.

On Monday, about 50 members of the community and a large number of members of the clergy gathered just after noon in an open field adjacent to the site of the shootings to offer prayers for the victims and console family members. Several speakers called for the community to come together to end violence.

The shootings occurred on Southwest 5th Street, just west of Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue, as a block party was underway, nearby residents stated.

The Ocala Police Department estimated that about 100 people were on the street around the time of the shootings and said a 911 call came in at 4:26 a.m.

Corey Croskey Sr., the father of Abdul, attended the prayer service with the victim’s mother Bonita Croskey, older brothers Corey Croskey Jr. and Jamar Croskey, sister Toccara Woods and grandfather Wilbert Cole.

“My son Abdul was respectful and humble, never argued and had a soft smile. He carried all those qualities into adulthood,” said the young man’s father. “This is a hard pill.”

The family said Abdul was single, played sports, worked as a truck driver with a local inventory resupply company and that they felt he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

“I know my son. I raised three sons, and one was in the U.S. Army. Abdul was moving up in the company he worked for,” the elder Croskey said in a later phone interview.

He said he has turned to his faith in his grief.

“God works in mysterious ways,” he said, adding that people’s prayers and condolences are helping him cope.

Bonita Croskey was overcome with grief during the event.

Jamar Croskey, 29, said his younger brother was “always very reliable” and a “hard worker.” He said he did not believe his brother knew the other victim.

Harris’ mother, Teresa Williams, said in a phone interview that her son was a “loving, outgoing and caring” person whose smile lit up the room and that he was the “life of the party.”

She said he was a native of Ocala, had a daughter, 8, and son, 9, and had been working at Harry’s Seafood Bar & Grille in downtown Ocala.

“D’amonta wanted peace for people, and he celebrated every holiday,” Williams said.

She said he liked to celebrate, but the “wrong thing” occurred while he was at the gathering.
Several members of the clergy and friends stepped forward at the service to offer prayers and embrace the grieving family.

Benjamin Snowden III, with Immerse Church of Ocala, said violence is not a racial or creed issue, but an issue for the entire community.

Snowden said he recalled the Mad Dads community group from “when I was a kid.”
“(We must) make a difference and it starts with us… we must get mad. See something, say something,” he said.

Bishop Chris Stokes of The New Beginnings Christian Worship Center in Micanopy said some members of his church were related to the victims. He said the service was held to “lift the community in prayer and give the community hope (and to) know we can overcome this.”

Stokes, whose ministry includes violence prevention programs, said if people “know something (about the shootings) they should say something.”

The Rev. Eric Cummings, pastor of New Zion Missionary Baptist Church of Ocala, said the tragedy effects not only the family but “the entire community.”

He implored social media users to “give the families of the victims a chance to heal” and not post photos or messages that might trouble the victims’ families.

Ire Bethea Sr., who represents District 2 on the Ocala City Council, which is the district in which the incident occurred, condemned the crime as a “bad thing that occurred in the community.”

Dennis McFatten, a former longtime member of local law enforcement, said he would like to see more information shared by the public and law enforcement.

“Somebody knows something,” he said.

A small sign was posted along Southwest 5th Street offering a “reward up to $1,000 for your anonymous information” from Crime Stoppers of Marion County.

OPD Public Information Officer Jeff Walczak wrote in an email Tuesday that detectives “are working hard to investigate this terrible act.” There was an OPD presence at the prayer service, including uniformed officers.

“We want to hold those responsible for this tragedy accountable for their actions and work towards a safer community. We encourage anyone who witnessed this crime to please come forward and help our detectives with this investigation,” Walczak wrote.

Kim Wilkerson, founder and director of War Cry 4 Peace, organized the prayer service and thanked all those who supported the event, including officials and law enforcement.

“The gathering of the pastors and leaders was beautiful, along with the War Cry 4 Peace members and people from the community. It spoke volumes to see the love poured out to the victim’s family and others who were hurting,” she stated. “Through this tragedy, new life came, and a new beginning of hope was given. We seek to continue to bind together in love and support for our neighborhoods and our community to stop the gun violence.”