Celebration of life held for Hazel Green man killed in deputy-involved shooting

MADISON CO., Ala. (WAFF) - A celebration of life for a beloved North Alabama school employee, who was killed in a deputy-involved shooting in January, was held on Monday.

Ray King was laid to rest in January but his family, co-workers, friends, and students at New Market School, where he worked for 15 years, celebrated his 51st birthday.

The group held a moment of silence at 2 p.m. and wore the color blue as a sign of awareness.

Kendra Hill, a friend of King, considered him to be more like a father figure and described him as anything but the silent type.

“I think that he would tell us to quit crying,” Hill said. “But I think that he would be proud of us and how we handled the situation and how we’re fighting for justice for him.”

Ray’s sister, Tina Walker can not shake that tragic day and wants justice served.

”Mom and daddy say it every day when they walk in that house. When they get up every morning, they see that house shot up and they know, they see him in the floor,” Walker said. “They made a mistake and they [did] wrong, and they shot at my brother.”

Whitney Martin, a close friend of King says the pain is still there.

“For a long time it was like, there’s no way that he’s really gone,” Martin said. “But when that realization set in, you know, it, it’s been heartbreaking ever since.”

ALEA has been looking into this deputy-involved shooting for months now, and ALEA representatives told WAFF 48 News as of today, the case is still under investigation.

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