On the eve of the first anniversary of the shooting death of Haverhill’s Nike Colon, the 20-year-old’s mother Michelee Geronimo tells WHAV she’s choosing to stay busy and positive as she remembers the “goofy” kid she says was “always laughing” and loved to cook.
Michelee Geronimo and Nike Colon (Courtesy photograph)
Planning a graveside remembrance Friday afternoon with friends and family, Geronimo hopes the anniversary of his drive-by shooting death will be a non-violent one. After all, retaliation fails to serve a purpose, she tells WHAV.
“Guns are not the way, violence is not the way, gangs are not the way. If retaliation really was the way to bring him back, believe me I would be leading that pack, but there’s no point in it,” Geronimo said. “It’s not going to do anything for us and we need to just let it be and end it all already.”
As Colon’s mother explains, the family experienced an added layer of grief earlier this month when Colon’s headstone at Lawrence’s St. Mary’s Cemetery was damaged “beyond repair” in the early morning hours of April 27. A police report was filed but no suspects have been identified, Geronimo said.
Geronimo tells WHAV maintaining a relationship with her son’s friends in the 12 months since his death has given her solace.
“I didn’t realize how strong I would be and could be. I would never wish this upon any other family. I don’t think they realize what they leave behind when something like this happens,” she said. “They’re in a gang and it’s like a family to them, but they don’t realize that their real family goes through hell and has to continue to live that while they’re resting in heaven.”
As WHAV previously reported, Colon’s accused killer Eddy Almonte, the man police say is a known gang member, was arrested in connection with a 2016 shooting on the city’s Temple Street, but was free at the time of Colon’s May 17, 2018 murder. After the Colon shooting, Almonte evaded capture for nearly two weeks before being arrested during an unrelated Virginia traffic stop in Winchester, Va. He faced a judge Tuesday for a status hearing as his case continues in Salem Superior Court.