Tyrone Gibson’s dream was to buy his mom a house. And more importantly, hire a cleaning lady.
Gibson’s mom Chiquita Reeves laughed as she reminisced about him telling her he would finally get someone else to clean the house because he didn’t want to. He thought he’d move out and live down the block. He said he might visit sometimes.
Now, none of that will ever happen. On Tuesday, Gibson was shot to death in an alley, the 2300 block of Central Street, around the corner from his house. He had gone to the store with some friends but never came home, Reeves said.
“I felt a piece of me break, out my heart. It ripped it,” Reeves said.
Police have not said if they have suspects in the shooting.
“That was my best friend. I could talk to him, he was there,” Reeves said.
Through her tears, she mourns the little things.
“I’m never gonna see my son walk into the bathroom and say ‘Mom, close the door, you’re always leaving the door open, you stink,’" Reeve said. Like any family, they argued. Especially as the oldest boy of six brothers and four sisters.
He fought with his older sister, Reeves said, but in the way that when they got boxing gloves for Christmas, they’d laugh about squaring up. But if something ever happened to her, he’d be right there to protect her.
Reeve’s youngest son, a 4-month-old who was born pre-mature, used to frighten Gibson because he was so small, Reeves said. But after a little while, Gibson would walk right into the room, pick up his littlest brother, bring him a fan, all while sassing his mother in a friendly way.
Reeves said the baby cried all night Tuesday night. She thinks it’s because he knew.
14-year-old Tyrone Gibson with his youngest brother. User Submitted Photo
“I see what he done for his family,” Gibson’s great aunt Almeda Evans said. “Most 14-year-olds would not put that much love and empathy toward their siblings, or his mom. But he stood by his mom.”
He loved them and they loved him. They would all make TikTok videos together, then laugh at their mom when she didn’t quite get the moves right. They all took care of each other, Reeves said. And Gibson led the way.
Reeves is quick to say her son was not in any gangs, in the streets. He wasn’t into anything bad. He went to church, he went to church camp and he never strayed far from his family. He wouldn’t even stay at someone else’s house. He wanted to be close to his family.
“He was one kid that did not deserve this. He did not deserve to get taken away from his nine brothers and sisters,” Reeves said. “He didn’t deserve to get taken from his mom. His mom who raised him by herself.”
Anyone who didn’t know Gibson missed out, his family says.
“He was a loving kid. A caring kid. A kid that wouldn’t take anything. He wasn’t selfish. He was grateful for anything,” Reeves said.
Recently, Gibson asked his great aunt for $2, and she only had bigger bills. She gave him a $20, told him he could use $10, and give $5 to two other people. He was thrilled just to take the $10.
“He cherished everything that he got. He wasn’t worried about wearing the latest Jordans. If he got, he got," Reeves said. "Sometimes it might be not that month that I could get it. It might be the following month, and he was cool with that.”
Reeves said she tried to give him everything she could, and she did it all in the hopes that he wouldn’t resort to the streets. That he’d stay home. And it worked. But he still lost his life.
Gibson only had a handful of friends, Reeves said, but he was loyal to them. He protected them, and in some cases, if they did get in trouble, he would still vouch for them. That meant she would tell him when she was worried about a friend.
“I always told my son, you don’t have no friends. Your friends will be the first one to take your life," Reeves said. “I tell my kids that. Period.”
But she said he wanted to be in the mix. He wanted to be friendly. He wasn’t going to do all the things they were doing, but he wanted to be around.
Read: Family says 14-year-old shot in Harrisburg was oldest of 6 brothers
Tyrone Gibson, 14, was shot to death on May 26, 2020. Photo submitted by the family.
As her first son, Reeves said Gibson always stood by her, even through really difficult times.
“Some stuff you don’t talk about, but I talked about it with him,” Reeves said. “I talked about it with him and he told me, ‘Mom it’s going to be alright.’"
Even when she did keep things to herself, he knew, she said.
Gibson talked about having kids and taking care of all of them, being a good dad, Reeves said. Now she’s mourning that he will never have kids, never get married or drive his first car.
“Nobody can make me feel like he did something wrong because he’s dead,” Reeves said. “He was special. He had everybody loving him.”
Gibson loved the church, Reverend Drew Stockstill of Christ Lutheran Church in Harrisburg said.
“The whole community has lost a leader,” Stockstill said. “A family has lost a light. A church has lost a light. A community has lost a light. And Harrisburg, all of Harrisburg has lost a light. A truly kind, generous leader.”
Tyrone Gibson on Christmas Eve 2018. Photo provided by Rev. Drew Stockstill
Gibson wanted to be a sports journalist, and asked questions about everything, Stockstill said.
Like many teenage boys, Gibson loved LeBron James, Harrisburg native LeSean McCoy and the Dallas Cowboys. He played football and basketball and loved talking sports with his family.
Reeves said when the Cowboys played she’d tease him and say she was a fan of the opposing team. She would then call him a bandwagon fan when he switched NBA teams, but he’d say he was following Lebron around.
Recent orders of a sports jersey and some Jordans are already on their way, which he planned to wear around 4th of July and his mom’s birthday.
All of these bright memories keep the family smiling while they process the devastating loss.
For whoever did this to her son, Reeves said she has some words. Words she won’t repeat to anyone but the shooter.
“When I say my last goodbye, my son is going to tell me who did this to him. Who took him from his family," Reeves said. “I want justice. I don’t care how it come. I want justice.”
Reeves does not believe this can be passed off as an accident, not when she knows the people who were with him were his friends. She wants to know what happened.
“I just want to look in that kid’s face and ask why he took my son,” Reeves said. “Was it that serious?”
A GoFundMe has been set up to raise money for the funeral and other unexpected costs, and is the only campaign sanctioned by the family.
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