Family: 14-year-old killed in Jacksonville was hardworker, loved his family

Hundreds of family and friends said their final goodbye Wednesday to a 14-year-old who was shot and killed behind an abandoned day care in Jacksonville.

Henry Atkins was shot and killed Sept. 12.

Officers said three young people were behind the day care, but they haven’t announced any arrests in the case.

Jamyah Gordon said Henry, who also went by Eric, was more than a cousin to her.

“He was like my big brother,” Gordon said.  “Because I'm the only child, and he was a very good young man.”

Atkins was known for being a hardworker who earned money cutting lawns.

“Little Eric was an exceptional young man,” his uncle Barry Young said.  “He fought through and overcame odds that many kids would not.”

He was also devoted to his family, Young said.

"One thing that I think stood out more than anything -- his love for his family," Young said.

Young served as the officiant for the service at the Greater New Jerusalem Baptist Church in Springfield. He had to be strong, even though he said it is tearing him up on the inside.

“His life matters, and we will demand that the state attorney, the police, and everyone involved would do what they should do -- that this young man would have justice,” Young said. “He deserves it.”

Cox Media Group