Family and friends of Jevon Freeman will gather in Decatur Saturday to celebrate the life of the Salem graduate and barbershop owner who was killed last week while selling his cellphone.
A report from the Clayton County Police Department said Freeman, 25, was shot to death around 6 p.m., Nov. 6 at a location on Highway 85 in Riverdale, where he was trying to sell the iPhone 5 he had listed for sale on Craigslist to Terrance Justin Dent, 18, of Riverdale.
According to media reports, Martha Freeman, the victim’s mother, said Jevon Freeman used Craigslist to earn extra money to help support his family.
Clayton County Police Maj. Johnny Robinson said Dent admitted to shooting Freeman and later giving the gun used in the shooting to his friend, Latrel Irving, 17, also of Riverdale. The weapon was located at Irving’s home, where he admitted to receiving the weapon from Dent.
Police arrested and charged Dent with murder, aggravated assault, possession of a weapon during the commission of a crime, tampering with evidence, and furnishing a pistol to a minor. Irving was charged with possession of a weapon by a minor, the report said.
Freeman, who owned Exclusive Cuts at Salem Road, was remembered as being very close to his clients and barbers. His fiancée, Tynia Waker, said if a mother happened to come into Freeman’s barbershop with a son in need of a haircut, Freeman would do it for free.
"He was just a helping hand with a great spirit," she said.
"Jevon was a very giving person. He would give you the shirt off his back. He was the definition of a man and a true provider," Waker said. "He loved his family, and there was nothing he wouldn’t do for any of us."
Freeman attended Stone Mountain, Tucker and Salem High schools. He graduated from Salem and attended Alabama State University in Montgomery, Ala., where Waker said they met.
According to a report from the Associated Press, Freeman was a former ASU basketball player who played guard on the team from 2007–2010. Alabama State men’s basketball coach Lewis Jackson said Freeman was a "happy-go-lucky kid" who was fun to be around and worked hard in practice every day, the AP reported.
Freeman and Waker had two children, Trevon, 5, and Jordan, 2.
"He was a great father. Everything he did was for his boys," Waker said. "It was important for him to keep his children on the right track and in church. He always talked about watching them grow up and become successful men."
Freeman will be laid to rest at 11 a.m. Saturday at The Hand of the Lord International Church in Decatur. Services will be conducted by the South DeKalb Chapel of Gregory B. Levett & Sons Funeral Home.
Waker said donations are still being accepted to help with funeral costs, as Freeman did not have any insurance. Donations can be made into an account at Bank of America.
Freeman’s Stone Mountain High School classmates held a fundraiser in his memory Tuesday night at Dugan’s Restaurant in Stone Mountain.
In addition to his mother, fiancée and two children, Freeman is survived by his father, Nathan Freeman; a sister and brother; and a host of relatives and friends.
