HENRICO, Va. -- Family members said that Brandon Wright expressed himself through rap music.
He spent a lot of time in the studio with his friends recording tracks. Tragically, some of the darkness he rapped about, is how his life ended.
Wright set his own lyrics to a track from “The Lost Boyz.” That particular track foreshadowed how he actually died in eastern Henrico County Monday night.
"On this cold night we are missing him right now,” announced a pastor Wednesday evening as friends and family gathered in New Kent outside a hair salon where Wright's mother works. They paid tribute to a young man that murdered in what is usually referred to as cold blood.
"Every time I saw Brandon he'd just give the best hugs,” said Yvonne Jones, his principal at New Kent County High School. “I'd always say, ‘What's going on, Brandon?’ and he'd say, ‘nothing.’ I'd say, ‘Well, we have to change that.’ Oh, it's so heartbreaking."
While detectives looked for clues that could lead them to Wright's killer, his loved ones released balloons in his memory. "He was a gentle giant,” said his cousin, Erica Williams. “He had the biggest heart anyone could ask for and was the sweetest person. He would do anything for you."
Wright was well-known in the area and police believe there are people close to him that know what went down at the intersection of Hanover and Green Pasture Roads Monday.
The call police responded to was for shots fired. They found Wright dead in the middle of the street with obvious signs of trauma.
Those are haunting details that have his family reeling. "He was very protective,” said Williams. “He loved his family."
There was a call to remain calm at Wednesday’s vigil, with a family friend urging the younger adults in attendance to keep the peace.
Police say if you know anything about Wright's murder, to please call them.
