’He didn’t get to grow up’: Family and friends remember 7-year-old Knowledge Sims

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) - Nearly a week after seven-year-old Knowledge Sims was shot and killed in his home no arrests have been made.

On April 29, Columbia Police say at least 12 rounds were fired into Knowledge’s home. Knowledge died that night and his 13-year-old sister Adontis Knowledge was sent to the hospital where CPD says she remains six days later.

RELATED STORIES:

• ‘He was strong’: Mother mourns 7-year-old killed in shooting as community gathers for vigil
• Cars, bikes line up to honor 7-year-old shooting victim Knowledge Sims
• Police plead for tips in shooting that killed 7-year-old boy, hurt 13-year-old girl

On Tuesday, Knowledge’s friends, family, teachers, and neighbors came together to say goodbye to the little boy.

“He was an amazing child. He was just fun. You don’t have any choice, but to love him,” family member Yolanda Anderson said.

However, like so many other life moments in the past couple of months, COVID-19 changed how this community was able to grieve.

About 50 people were allowed to be inside for the service in order to allow for social distancing, but more than a thousand watched online.

Jacqueline White said her son Gavin would play with Knowledge just about every day.

She described him as sweet, kind, and respectful. And White and her son laughed as she remembered his big appetite and love for sports.

“He was a good friend,” nine-year-old Gavin said. “We liked to play football he just tried to get me to play football. I used to go to his house and ask his Mom can he come to his house and play with me,” he added as he remembered the moments he now misses.

White said this has been hard on the whole family and she can't make sense of why Sims was killed, "My baby broke down and cried to me yesterday. My baby cried to me for 15 minutes straight and asked why it had to be like this why," White said.

Knowledge's kindergarten teacher Deirdre Murph said he was one of the students she will always remember.

Murph said in her 33 years of teaching, she has never lost a student to violence. She plans to carry on Knowledge's legacy by continuing to teach her students to be leaders.

"He didn't get to grow up and fulfill his dreams...[He had ]a lot of energy and willingness to give you a hug every day," she said. "Always doing what he was asked to do. Always doing it well."

Anderson simply said Knowledge was "our little sport," and smiled while she remembered how much he loved to play games and how often he played the computer game Fortnite.

According to CPD, Adontis is recovering in the hospital and family members say she is awake.

While the family continues to grieve, they are left with countless questions.

CPD said they have no updates on the case and are still asking people to send any information they may know about what happened to them.

Anyone with information on this crime should call the ATF tip line at 1-888-ATF-TIPS. There is up to a $25,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest. People can also call CrimeStoppers at 803-CRIME-SC or CPD’s Criminal Investigations line at 803-545-3525.

Copyright 2020 WIS. All rights reserved.