A talented, young basketball player is how many are describing the victim of a Halifax homicide that occurred Saturday morning.
Halifax Regional Police identified the victim as 20-year-old Keezondre Kentrez Smith, who lost his life in an early morning shooting on Hollis Street.
TO GoFundMe Page was created on Monday as a way to help family with funeral expenses. Its description shares Smith had celebrated his birthday one day before.
Police say they responded to a weapons complaint in the 1600 block of Hollis around 3:50 am Saturday, where officers found a man lying on the street, who had been shot.
“The victim was transported to the QEII Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries,” Const. Nicolas Gagnon of Halifax Regional Police told CTV News.
Some neighbors reported hearing the commotion Saturday morning.
“I almost fell asleep and I heard there were gunshots, maybe seven or eight times,” Ling Zhang told CTV News Saturday.
Known to friends as ‘Dre’ or ‘Dreko,’ Keezondre was from North Preston.
The talented basketball player even made a brief appearance on CTV Morning Live back in 2017.
In a news release issued Monday, police said they don’t believe the incident to be a random act.
Smith is being remembered as talented and well-mannered. The organizer of the fundraiser says Smith “could light up a room with a contagious smile.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact Halifax Regional Police at 902-490-5020 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.