Mother of Man Slain at Epic Easter Bike Out and Field Party Shooting Says He Will Get Justice

Family and friends trickled into The Loon Bar & Grill after a Sunday vigil for Kealon Gilmore, the 26-year-old man killed when gunfire erupted at the Epic Easter Bike Out and Field Party on April 2. People at The Loon on Sunday wore yellow and purple shirts with his name and photo on it.

Gilmore would be at the restaurant just about every day, the manager said, and he always loved the burgers. So, when the owner and manager heard of Gilmore's death, they named the Kealon Burger after him.

A table lit with candles was reserved for Gilmore's mother, Shalonda Gilmore. The family was invited out to dine at his old hangout spot.

“Tragic,” Shalonda Gilmore told the Observer. “He was a wonderful kid. Good spirt.”

Kealon, along with 15 others, was shot when a fight broke out at the party in southeast Oak Cliff attended by more than 2,000 people. The event took place without a city permit, though off-duty Dallas police officers were providing security.

The Dallas Police Department is trying to identify the shooter while it looks into why its officers were working the non-permitted event. The city is considering increased regulations for special events and the people in charge of throwing them. That includes the promoters and the owners of the land where events are taking place. 

"He will have justice." – Shalonda Gilmore, Kealon Gilmore's mother

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Officials met Monday for the City Council's Public Safety Committee meeting to speak about recent acts of violence in Dallas and how to prevent them in the future. A bulk of the discussion was about the party where Kealon died. Two people were also shot in Deep Ellum early on Sunday, hours before the Gilmore family arrived at The Loon to remember Kealon. Shalonda said she isn’t sure yet how tragedies like this can be prevented. All she can think about is finding justice for her son.

“He will have justice. I can say that,” she said. “He will have justice and his name will live on. I hate that this has to be the way for it to live on, but his name will live on. I’m not going to stop. We won’t stop.”
Kealon was the kind of man who would keep you laughing, she said. He loved sports, especially football, and he was a good father, Shalonda said. Shalonda hardly knew anyone at the vigil, but they still came out to honor her son.

Kealon didn't go to parties frequently, but he still ended up in a field in southern Dallas with over 2,000 others expecting to see Memphis-based rapper Big Boogie.

Shalonda texted Kealon before the party. “Y’all please be careful,” she said in the text. Kealon responded, “Most definitely, Momma.”

Police say the performer didn’t show up, the crowd grew restless before the gunfire broke out.

He went with his younger brother, who had to call Shalonda and tell her what happened. “He shouldn’t have had to witness that and it’s sad,” she said, starting to cry. “He’s going to have justice. I truly believe that because the community is coming together and they’re going to catch ’em. Whoever it was, however many it was, they are going to pay for it.

“I’m still numb to the fact. I’m still in disbelief, but I know it’s real. I know it’s real. I’m suffering. His father’s suffering. Everybody’s suffering because he was a good kid.”