Friends and neighbors remember ‘beautiful soul’ killed in Burlington shooting Monday night
Jerome Chandler, 23, was remembered as a jokester and loyal friend during Tuesday night's vigil.
A group of friends, family, and neighbors gathered Tuesday night in Burlington to remember Jerome “Rome” Chandler in the spot where he had been shot and killed just 24 hours earlier.
Holding a banner adorned with images of the 23-year-old surrounded by clouds and entering the gates of heaven, the group described Chandler as a “jokester” who could bring light to even the darkest situations.
Chandler’s brother, Dre, said he would remember him most for “always being the life of the party and never being down.”
“No matter what he was going through in life, he could laugh about any situation,” he said.
Chandler died Monday night after he was shot multiple times in the chest outside a residence on the 100 block of Federal Street. Two teens also injured in the shooting are expected to survive.
Police were still investigating as of Wednesday afternoon. There have been no arrests.
Chandler was a central figure in the tight-knit group of friends who met as kids and grew into family over the years, friends at the vigil said. He enjoyed riding dirt bikes and spending time outside with his friends.
Dimly lit by memorial candles and nearby streetlights, the group chanted his name in unison as they released metallic balloons into the sky.
“Long live Rome!” the group shouted through tears as the balloons floated off into the night.
There was a heavy police presence in the area near Route 130 in the hours leading up to Tuesday’s vigil. That came after Burlington police released a statement asking people not to gather in the area, citing safety concerns.
But that did not discourage community members from coming together to mourn.
Gabrielle Medina, widely known as one of the area’s “neighborhood moms,” set up in a nearby parking lot to serve heaping portions of her homemade chicken Alfredo pasta to anyone who walked by.
“I really wish the community would come together more instead of blaming everybody and being afraid,” Medina said.
Medina remembered Chandler as “a beautiful soul.”
“Hopefully this is an eye-opener for all the younger kids, the kids around, and everybody who was involved, that this is real,” she said. “All these little fights, all this little drama — is it really worth it? These are temporary emotions with permanent decisions, permanent reactions. And you’re throwing your lives away.”
Medina informally works hand-in-hand with others in the community to steer Burlington’s youth away from gun violence.
Chandler was one of the people who tried to send that message to the young men coming up behind him, said Victor Mariano, a neighbor who attended the vigil.
“He was a nice guy and had a good head on his shoulders, too,” he said.
Mariano met Chandler through family friends when he moved to Burlington just a few months ago.
“He was the type of guy, if you were down and out, he could make you smile,” he said.
Chandler made an effort to help kids in the community, Mariano said, always offering to toss a football around or provide support and guidance.
Brandon Rodriguez, 14, said he always felt that Chandler was looking out for him.
Now without the older friend who tried to show him right from wrong, Rodriguez said he would always remember the example Chandler set for him.
“I’m going to try my best to keep it in my heart,” he said.
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