A 13-year-old boy popularly known at his local church in Kent, Washington, as a budding preacher, singer and musician, is being mourned by his family, church and community, after he was fatally shot in the back during the robbery of a camera.
There was no shortage of tears among both the young and old during Matthiew Stavkovy’s memorial service held at the Way to Salvation Church on Sunday as his family and friends shared moving memories of the life he lived before it was cut short on July 16.
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“On July 16th, 2024, at the age of 13, Matthiew’s heart stopped beating after a tragic event took place at a park where someone decided to put a bullet through his back,” Michael Stavkovy, Matthiew’s older brother, recalled at the pulpit of the packed church below which the suited corpse of his brother lay in an open casket, The Christian Post reports.
Michael Stavkovy, the older brother of the late Matthiew Stavkovy, 13, tears up as his reads his life story over his open casket at Way To Salvation church in Kent, Washington. | The Christian Post
Prosecutors say, according to the Kent Reporter, that Matthiew was killed on July 16 after he accompanied his 15-year-old sister and a juvenile friend to Turnkey Park to sell a camera and equipment. The transaction was arranged through OfferUP, an online mobile-first marketplace.
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“While there is no way to compensate for the incredible loss felt by the Stavkovy family and the community, it is my hope that today’s (July 25) arrests in addition to the arrest made last week, provide them some measure of comfort,” Police Chief Rafael Padilla said in a news release.
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