Service honors slain Ocala man

Friends and family members gathered the evening of May 6 at the Immerse Church Sportsplex in Ocala for a prayer service and candlelight vigil to honor, Tevin Hargrove, 33, who died April 28 as a result of gunshot wounds. [Photo by Andy Fillmore/Ocala Gazette]

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Posted May 8, 2025 | By Andy Fillmore, [email protected]

Friends and family members gathered the evening of May 6 at the Immerse Church Sportsplex in Ocala for a prayer service and candlelight vigil to honor a 33-year-old man who died April 28 as a result of gunshot wounds.

Tevin Edward Hargrove was found injured around 12:25 a.m. that day at a residence in the Belleview area near Southeast 128th Street and Southeast 107th Court, according to a Marion County Sheriff’s Office Facebook post.

Hargrove later died at a hospital, the post states. The MCSO has stated that the investigation into the shooting is ongoing.

More than 80 people attended the vigil, which was arranged and conducted by War Cry 4 Peace of Ocala, an anti-gun violence group that provides support for victims’ families. The event included a call to action to local men to combat gun violence in Ocala.

Kimberly Wilkerson, president of War Cry 4 Peace, welcomed attendees.

“We’re here to honor a special person,” Wilkerson said.

She later offered a prayer for Hargrove and his family.

Speakers with War Cry 4 Peace included Darell Tolbert, pastor of El-Jireh Ministries, who recounted his past in the world of drugs and violence. He told those gathered that “the clock inside is ticking” and we should “stop wasting time.”

Taurean Williams, a minister who did not give a church affiliation, came forward and asked the men at the vigil to step forward to be part of a solution to gun violence.

“How do you stop and end (gun violence)? There is a solution (and) it starts with us,” Williams said.

Williams said men should be “the leader” and spoke of taking “ownership of children.”

“Is it possible to get through one month without gun violence?” Williams asked of a group of more than a dozen men who embraced and prayed with him.

A woman who indicated she was related to Hargrove said he was a “funny man” who was “very protective of his family.” Another woman said she was Hargrove’s fiancé but preferred not to speak about her loss.

As the vigil closed, the attendees, holding candles, lined up in the form of Hargrove’s initials and then formed a circle to pray.

Information about sales of commemorative photo buttons, with a portion of proceeds going to the victim’s family for funeral arrangements, can be found on the War Cry 4 Peace Facebook page.

The Ocala Police Department reports “zero” homicides in 2025 and the Marion County Sheriff’s Office stated there have been “three firearm related homicides this year and 15 suicides involving firearms.”