JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Outside an ordinary tire shop on Arlington Road, people gathered hand-and-hand with each other, some shedding tears, for a vigil honoring the shop's owner, who was shot and killed.
Since the scene cleared Monday night, the corner of JT’s Tire Shop has been empty. Yet less than a week after his death, James Taylor's beloved shop was filled with people who loved him.
“He was giving. He was a people person," said Tiffany Jackson about her cousin. "You came into the shop, and he wasn't just an owner, he was a friend. You can count on him.“
While dozens held hands in prayer, they remembered the Arlington business owner for the laughter he shared and the passion he had for his job.
However, Jackson said their family’s grief does not stop with her cousin.
“it’s just tough to deal with because we're mourning the loss of two people really," she explained.
James’ son is in jail charged with his murder.
After serving in the Air Force, his family said James Taylor Junior was diagnosed with Paranoid Schizophrenia.
They believe he had an episode before, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office says, James Junior shot his father multiple times.
“We have to make sure as a community, as a whole, that we listen to people," Jackson said. "We hear the problems that they're going through because mental illness is silent. We don't know until actions like this happen.”
The Taylor family plans to continue doing what James loved to do: Keep the corner of JT’s Tire Shop open and bustling.
“We want to make sure that his legacy continues,” Jackson said. “We will live on, and his memory will live on."