AKRON, Ohio — It's an anguish that no parent should experience, but Akron mother, Zebulun DeGrate, lives with emotional pain daily.
She counts the Sundays since her 21-year-old son, Keion DeGrate, was murdered: 11 Sundays so far.
During an emotional interview from her home, Zebulun said life would never be the same for her, her husband and three other sons.
She also begged the public for answers as she talked about a new reward totaling up to $11,500 for information that leads to the killer.
"You have it figured out until you don't, and one day you wake up and your whole world is changed," Zebulun said as she fought through tears.
Keion, who was a sophomore at Central State University, was home from the college when the tragedy unfolded in broad daylight.
On the afternoon of Dec. 8, 2024, Keion went for a walk near his home in Patterson Park in Akron, a spot he had visited countless times playing sports as a kid.
But on that day, his life would end tragically.
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Zebulun said she heard gunshots from her home and experienced a feeling she can't describe. She would later learn Keion had been killed.
"Where we feel safe, you're no longer safe. Are you serious? You can't go to the park and come home?" she said.
Keion was near the basketball and tennis when someone with a high-powered rifle fired multiple shots. It's not clear if the gunman was in a vehicle at the time of the shooting, but police said an SUV sped away from the scene.
Whoever did it remains unidentified, on the loose for more than two months so far.
"I can't comprehend it because that lets me know that you intended on killing my son or whoever it was. It happened to be my son," Zebulun said.
The mother said she has no idea why anyone would want to hurt her son.
She described Keion as a kind soul and a peacemaker who loved animals and played the piano and the steel drums.
In 2021, he graduated from Archbishop Hoban High School, where he ran track and played basketball and football.
Zebulun also recalled that her son was very smart and observant, even at a young age.
"When he was a kid, he used to watch the Weather Channel, not cartoons like the other kids," she said.
Summit County Crimestoppers is offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information that solves the case. The DeGrate family is also pitching an additional $6,500 to the reward fund.
"I've been pleading with God and he won't bring him back, so at least— at least— we should be able to have justice for him," Zebulun said.
Captain Michael Miller stressed that the hearts of officers are with the DeGrate family.
He's urging people who know the truth to come forward.
"Sometimes it is that level of plea. It's a plea. It's a please. If you have a heart, someone knows something," Miller said.
In the meantime, Zebulun said she will keep memories of Keion close to her heart and pray her son's killer is captured.
"I was supposed to go before him. There's no way that this is supposed to be like this."
Anyone with information on the case is asked to call Summit County Crimestoppers at 330-434-COPS.
