Members of the Prince George’s County community gathered in the parking lot of the Staples on Campus Way South in Largo, Maryland, on Saturday to honor the memory of a community activist who was killed last month.
Cornelius McDonald, 33, was killed on Nov. 30 outside Jasper’s Restaurant in the Lake Arbor section of Prince George’s County.
On Tuesday, Terrelle Bailey, 35, of Northwest D.C., was arrested and charged with first-degree murder among other charges in the shooting that killed McDonald.
“He was held without bond, per the request of the state … and we believe that is the appropriate action thus far,” said State’s Attorney for Prince George’s County Aisha Braveboy, who spoke to WTOP before the vigil.
Braveboy said the death of McDonald was a loss for the whole community.
“This was someone who absolutely cared about his community. He is who we want our children to be and, unfortunately, he was killed at Jasper’s, and it was senseless,” she said. “There was no reason for him not to be here, not to continue the work that he was doing. So we’re all in mourning. His family is grieving. The community is grieving.”
The vigil was a joint effort between the Largo Civic Association, Largo Town Center Association, Prince George’s County Police, Prince George’s County Council member Wala Blegay, and the nonprofit Stay Solid, which McDonald founded after his brother died from gun violence five years ago.
Stay Solid supports youth and young adults in the area who are dealing with mental health challenges.
Rande Atcherson from the Largo Town Center Association explained to WTOP why the groups came together to host this event.
“Neal was a brother, he was a pillar of our community, he was active, he touched the lives of so many young people,” said Atcherson. “He was the light, and we lost the light. We have to pick up the light and carry the torch.”
The parking lot at the event was crowded not only with community members, McDonald’s friends and family, but also children that knew Cornelius McDonald as “coach Neal.”
“Neil was our family. He was one of our coaches,” said Jacqlene Banks, whose 7-year-old son Carter was coached by McDonald for the Southern Maryland Youth Flag Football League. “He was our sons’ mentor. His son was some of our son’s best friends,” she said.
“My son lost his father at three, so Neil really stepped up and really was there for my son.”
As Banks spoke, tears ran down her face and her 7-year-old son Carter wiped them from her cheek.
He shared his own memories about Coach Neal.
“He practiced with us and helped us,” said Carter. As the young man kept talking, he choked back tears, saying, “he used to call us superstars and teach us what a good player and a superstar is.”
Carter’s teammate Kaiden was also there and spoke of the ways Coach Neal helped him be a better player — and a better person.
“He helped me be good at defense and pull a lot of flags … how to control my temper and how to have a better attitude,” said Kaiden.
During the vigil, McDonald’s Mom, Maria Butler, spoke to those who had come to honor her son’s memory.
“I would like to say thank you to everyone who came out. My son made a tremendous impact on the community, and your presence and all the social media output that I’ve received over the week has been so, so impactful to me,” Butler said.
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