JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A Jacksonville father would have been 38 years old Friday. Instead, Brandon Holcomb’s family was searching for his killer.
Holcomb’s family plans to join the Jacksonville anti-violence organization MAD DADS Saturday morning for a vigil and to canvass the area where Holcomb was murdered in order to search for answers.
First Coast News spoke with Holcomb's family Friday at a graveyard where his family gathered with posters, bouquets and "happy birthday" balloons.
“Happy birthday to my dad,” said Holcomb's young daughter.
“When I woke up, I really went through something realizing that this is the first birthday without my child," said Ericka Kohn.
Kohn’s son, Holcomb, was shot and killed Sept. 26 on Eaverson Street near downtown Jacksonville. His family is searching for the person who pulled the trigger.
“It’s just heartbreaking. I cry all the time,” Kohn said. “You know, wondering, ‘Will I lose my mind one day?’”
Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office lists Brandon’s case as "not cleared." Saturday morning, Kohn and more of Holcomb’s family members plan to join MAD DADS. Kohn said they plan to walk around the crime scene and knock on doors to ask people if they know anything about who killed her son.
“If you seen it, say it," Kohn said. "You could be in the same shoes that I’m sitting in one day and you would want somebody to say it.”
Kohn said Holcomb didn’t have enemies and that he had a good job and took care of his daughter.
“It’s gonna be hard for us, but I think as a family that we can all embrace each other and make sure that we there for each other,” she said.
That will be especially true each year on Nov. 15.
“Happy birthday, my daddy,” Holcomb's daughter said.
Kohn said there is a $10,000 reward in Holcomb’s case. The MAD DADS walk is at 10:45 a.m. Saturday, starting at 700 Eaverson St.