Ybor City shooting victim’s family starts memorial fund in honor of son: ‘We can give to the community’
TAMPA, Fla. - Less than two months after 20-year-old Harrison Boonstoppel was shot and killed in Ybor City, his family is already working to create change.
Boonstoppel was one of two people killed in a shooting on 7th Avenue on October 29. His family has since started the Harrison Bruce Boonstoppel Memorial Fund. They are dedicated to seeing that no other family has to lose their child in a similar tragedy.
Brucie Boonstoppel, Harrison's mother, said there isn’t a day that goes by when she isn’t stung by the pain of losing her son.
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"Tears were just streaming," Brucie said. "I mean, it is a real loss through your soul. It's not something that you get through. You don't."
They cycle through feelings of anger, grief and frustration.
"It is not having that person," she said.
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Pictured: Brucie and Ava Boonstoppel.
Harrison’s twin sister, Ava Boonstoppel, said Harrison had an incredibly bright future ahead, and was just beginning his life when he was killed.
"This was 100% preventable," Ava said. "‘Oh okay, everything happens for a reason.’ No, it doesn't. Not this."
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The Tampa Police Department has added additional charges against the 14-year-old suspect, Kayden Abney, including second-degree murder, attempted aggravated battery and attempted murder. Tampa Police Chief Lee Bercaw said during a Wednesday evening news conference that the second-degree murder charge directly relates to the death of 20-year-old Harrison Boonstoppel, one of the two victims killed during the shooting in Ybor City on October 29.
Harrison’s death has become the reason his family is leading a charge for change in the community. They want to carry on his legacy in a positive way.
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"Harrison was about kindness and living life to the fullest, and we want that to be something that we can give to the community and the community can give back," Brucie said.
Pictured: Harrison Boonstoppel.
The Boonstoppel family started the fund in his memory, which will be dedicated to working with organizations and community partners that focus on the mental, emotional and physical health and support of young people.
"That show places that you connect, because that's a lot of it too, is you don't know what to do, you don't know where to reach out," Brucie said.
They are also centering their work around the message, "Boonstop the violence."
"I want for Harrison that people remember him and know that he had a zest for life. And we should all have that zest for life. It is just a light. You should be that way. And as parents, we have to step up a little bit," Brucie said.
Harrison’s mother said he was ripped away from them in a way they never expected, until it happened. But, she wants to be the vessel for change, to help provide a platform for support and positive influences throughout the community.
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"We all need to work to make it better so that the tragedy stops for everyone," Ava said.
Harrison’s family has already held several events in his memory, and they hope to continue to do so.
"Nobody changes the world in a second, but at least we start here, and we make it better for our own children," Brucie said.
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Pictured: Harrison Boonstoppel.
Harrison's mother doesn’t want her son's name to be remembered for how his life was taken, but rather for what he left behind.
"His essence is about being kind and helping people," Brucie said. "And that's what his name means."
Pictured: Harrison Boonstoppel.
The Harrison Bruce Boonstoppel Memorial Fund is in its beginning stages. Harrison’s family is working with businesses and organizations in the community to build up a platform to connect families with the resources they need to support their children.
You can learn more about the fund here.