KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The parents of two boys killed in a quadruple murder talked publicly for the first time Friday night. Speaking to their sons’ basketball team, their message brought tears.
There were no dry eyes in the Missouri Valley Blazers huddle. There’s too much grief. For the first time, their time is incomplete. Their star scoring machine, Amir Clemons, 10, and his aggressive brother Gerard, Jr., 7, were killed last week. So, the team started Friday’s game with three players, scoring a lay-up.
“I told them this game is not about winning or losing, it’s about giving 110-percent effort like they normally do,” said Gerard Clemons, the victim’s father.
March 16th, inside a Raytown apartment, the boys’ father found them dead with two others. The killer remains at-large. Amir and Gerard, Jr. remain the heart and soul of their team.
To prove it, the team retired Amir’s number 15 and Gerard, Jr.’s 00. Coaches also presented the victim’s parents with autographed game balls from their sons’ best games.
In return, Amir and Gerard’s father gave the team a pep talk about focus, teamwork and determination. Those are lessons Clemons’ says they need on the court and in life.
“The two players who are not there, Amir and Gerard, are there in spirit and they’re living through you,” Clemons said.
