Family of 20-year-old shot to death in St. Pete gathers to dedicate street in his name
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The family of Marquis Scott dedicated the street where he was killed in St. Pete to him on Saturday, one day before the four-year anniversary of his death.
The star Northeast High School football player was shot and killed while he was riding his bike in 2019. He was 20 years old.
READ MORE: St. Pete family aims to curb violence after tragic shooting death of son
Scott’s family gathered around the spot he was killed on the corner of Queensboro Avenue and Yale Street South, changing the name of Queensboro Avenue to Quisboro after Marquis. They then prayed and told stories about Scott.
"You’re my son," Maress Scott, Marquis’ father, said. "You’re my friend. I miss you so much, and I’m sorry I wasn’t here."
Scott's family said they're in the early stages of talking to the city about officially getting the street renamed after him. They added that Saturday's sign dedication had sentimental value for them.
"It means everything because we want to remember Marquis," Marjorie Scott, Marquis’ mother, said about the street dedication. "I don't want him to ever be forgotten, and that's a way for me to remember him as well as anybody who knew him or loved him, and if they didn't know him or loved him, it'll make them ask about him, and we can continue to share his memory."
READ: Community mourns after former star athlete shot to death
Scott’s family has turned the tragedy into action, creating the nonprofit ‘Quis For Life’ in his honor to end gun violence. They hold trainings to guide young people away from violence. So far, thousands have signed pledges committing to lifestyles without violence.
"It's a coping mechanism for the family, but it also helps other families," Marlin Scott, one of Marquis’ brothers, said.
Scott’s family also passed out bags of toiletries and snacks to the homeless Saturday.
"For him, that was something he loved to do because we did it in the past, and he would always be the one that… he didn't just pass out the bag. He would shake their hands, get to know them and show them love," Marjorie Scott said. "He didn’t know a stranger. He loved everybody."
On Sunday, Scott's family will hold the fourth annual community gun violence awareness walk, starting at South Straub Park in St. Pete at 2 p.m.
"He had that infectious smile," Mary Walker, Marquis’ grandmother, said. "At his service, kids just kept coming up came just coming up in the lines and whatever saying what he was to them, how he was to them, and we had no idea. And I said something to the pastor and he said you will never know because you're not out there. So, he touched many lives."