Family mourns slain Brooklyn Center man remembered as a 'bright light'

Family and former teachers are lamenting the loss of Shamar Simms, a 21-year-old whom they remembered as a promising young man and someone who made those around him smile.

His mother, Andrea Simms, said she feels heartbroken over the loss of her son, who was shot and killed in north Minneapolis late Friday night.

"I lost my baby," she said. "I'm not sure how to feel; I'm numb right now."

Shamar Laquan Simms died in the hospital after he was shot in the 3600 block of Penn Avenue N. around 11:45 p.m. Friday, according to Minneapolis police. The Hennepin County Medical Examiner's Office confirmed he died of gunshot wounds.

Early information suggests Simms was shot when he was standing outdoors, a police spokesperson said. No arrests have been made in the case.

In a phone interview, his mother said Simms was the father of a 1-year-old and had a second baby on the way. He was getting ready to start a new job as a security guard downtown and to move into a new apartment, she added.

"He was very loved by many people, a happy kid, stayed with a smile on his face, didn't bother nobody," said Andrea Simms of Brooklyn Center.

Taylor Rae Taylor, a teacher assistant, said she was heartbroken about the loss of Simms, whom she said was a "bright light." Taylor and her co-workers "loved him as our own," she noted.

"We loved him and encouraged him to see his potential and just how special he was," she wrote in a Facebook post. "Endless laughs and talks in the car, him mowing my lawn, playing kings in the corner, overeating at the State Fair and throwing him a graduation party, he always kept us smiling."

The post included a photo of Simms holding up a "congratulations" sign for his 2020 graduation from Columbia Heights High School. He enjoyed playing with his four brothers, was "fascinated" by cars, and had hopes of one day working on vehicles, his mother said.

"Any fast car, he could tell you anything going on with it, especially foreign ones," she said.