Antwon Rose, the 17-year-old fatally shot in East Pittsburgh Tuesday night, had been volunteering at the Free Store 15104 in Braddock each summer since 2015, said founder Gisele Fetterman, the wife of Braddock Mayor John Fetterman.
Antwon, of Rankin, told a fellow volunteer he planned to return this summer to help out at the nonprofit that collects and redistributes donated items to the community, Ms. Fetterman said.
"He was just a really lovely, gentle kid," Ms. Fetterman told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette at a World Refugee Day event in Market Square on Wednesday. "His mom is amazing. All the kids loved him. Just a fine person. Bubbly. Funny. Goofy. Just really special."
Antwon was shot by police three times Tuesday night in East Pittsburgh after he “bolted” from a vehicle as police took the driver into custody, Allegheny County Police Superintendent Coleman McDonough said Wednesday at a press conference. The driver of the vehicle, who is 20, was released after being interviewed by police.
Antwon was unarmed; police said they found two guns on the floor of the vehicle. An investigation is continuing.
Ms. Fetterman said the community is "shocked" by Antwon’s death.
Duquesne City Mayor Nickole Nesby is friends with Antwon's mother and knew him since birth.
"He was a beautiful little boy," she said.
She described him as well-mannered and very smart — with a 120 IQ — who liked playing basketball.
"He was full of life," she said.
A few months ago, when Antwon got his driver's license, he went to pick up Ms. Nesby and take her for a ride.
"He was a pleasure," she said.
Ms. Nesby said he'd been serving community service hours for her since March, when she said he got in trouble at school for pulling a girl's hair.
Antwon spent his time with her putting together spreadsheets of Duquesne property pulled from Allegheny County assessment records.
Ms. Nesby expected to see Antwon last Friday evening as he was planning to help out with a showing of “Black Panther” for children in the community.
He texted her that day to tell her he couldn't make it because his mom's car was in the shop.
Ms. Nesby didn't know what happened Tuesday night.
"I don't know what he was doing in that car," she said. "I have no idea."
She lamented the gun violence in the community.
"To me, this death, they take it and go with it like it's nothing."
Ms. Fetterman, who said she watched the video of the incident, said: "I just think he didn't deserve what happened to him. It was hard for me to watch it."
A witness captured video of what appears to be the officer-involved shooting and posted it on social media. (EDITOR’S NOTE: The video contains graphic content.)
On Facebook, she shared a screenshot of an email she received from Antwon in July 2015 asking if he could join two of his friends in volunteering at the nonprofit.
"His life was just starting, he was part of a wonderful family and he was SO LOVED by so many and he didn't deserve this," Ms. Fetterman wrote in the post.
Antwon worked at the Pittsburgh Gymnastics Club from July 2015 to July 2016, when he moved from Rankin to Churchill, said owner Kim Ransom.
At the gym, Antwon worked with children in the after-school program, and staffed open gyms and birthday parties.
Ms. Ransom said her fondest memory of Antwon was when he showed up to his job interview in a three-piece suit in the middle of the sweltering July heat.
"I am committed to just singing his praises as far as his character when I worked with him," Ms. Ransom said. "He was just an absolute dream to work with at the gym. All of the kids loved him. The parents loved him. There was just nothing more I could have asked from him."
First Published: June 20, 2018, 4:59 p.m.
