ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — On a sunny, blue sky evening his family and friends should have been enjoying the summer night, but they weren't.
Instead, those whose eyes filled with tears packed the parking lot outside Beverly Hills Supermarket near Natural Bridge Road and Avondale Avenue in north St. Louis county.
They came to mourn and pay tribute to Kardayé Moore.
"I loved my son. He was loyal, strong and dependable. He loved hard. He loved his family and friends," said Tanya Moore.
Police say on Wednesday, Moore got into a fight with one man and then a shootout with another inside the neighborhood market.
More than a dozen shoppers ran for their lives including a little girl. None of the shoppers or employees were hurt.
Kardayé Moore suffered a gunshot wound to his stomach and died.
"My son had never been in that store before. The guys didn't know him. He didn't know them," said Tana Moore.
Nearly three months ago, Kardayé Moore was released from jail on assault and unlawful use of a weapon charge.
His mother says she always worried about her son's fate.
"And that one mistake made him grow up and mature. He was looking to get a job and to have kids," added the young man's mom.
31-year-old Warren Smith Jr. of Florissant and 28-year-old Marcell Payne of University City are both charged with second-degree murder and other felonies.
Police say they found both hiding inside the store after the deadly shooting.
"The fact that they are now charged that's no comfort to me. They're still living. My son is dead and my son was 23. He didn't have no time to live. Every time they go to trial I will be there," said Tanya Moore.
Under the watchful eye of a police officer, several people who attended a balloon release in memory of Moore also pleaded for an end to gun violence in the St. Louis area.
"If you're reckless and you're just out there shooting anybody and everybody, No! I say put the guns down," said Tanya Moore.
"We got every day. We try to go to work and you never know if you're gonna drive by something or if you're gonna get caught in the crossfire of a shooting. We're afraid," said Liana Kennedy a Moore family friend.
Meantime, amid their pain and safety concerns, they released dozens of red and black balloons for their loved one gone too soon.