'He had a great future ahead of him.' Friends and teammates of teen killed in Florida theme park ride honor him in vigil
CNN
He was a gentle giant who always supported others. A teammate often turned mentor. A kind and funny friend, always soft-spoken.
That's how friends and family in a Missouri vigil remembered 14-year-old Tyre Sampson, who died last Thursday when he fell off an amusement park thrill ride while on a spring break trip to Orlando, Florida.
"He was fun, he was a good dude," Kameron Smith, who said he played football with Tyre, told CNN affiliate KMOV. "He helped me when I was in practice, when I would do something wrong, he'd help me with it and try to fix it and then when I'd mess up he'd try to encourage me."
After recent burglaries at homes of professional athletes – including Kansas City Chiefs stars Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce – the NFL and NBA have issued security memos to teams and players warning that “organized and skilled groups” are increasingly targeting players’ residences for such crimes.