Mother of murdered Gwinnett teen says she’s waiting ‘for him to walk through the door’

GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — A group of dozens of family and friends came together Tuesday to honor the 18-year-old aspiring chef shot and killed outside of his home in Gwinnett County over the weekend.

Timothy Henderson, 18, was shot and killed at the Herrington Mill Apartments on Saturday night at around 11 p.m. Gwinnett County police identified 19-year-old Raheem Whiteside as the murder suspect, but he has not yet been taken into custody.

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Henderson, better known as “TJ,” leaves behind a grieving mother who struggles to live at the apartment not far from where her son was killed.

“It’s just too many memories,” said Lashika Almond, his mother. “I was waiting the other day for him to walk through the door.”

Channel 2 Gwinnett County Bureau Chief Matt Johnson was there as a crowd of loved ones gathered at the complex Tuesday evening to release balloons in honor of the teen. He was preparing to start culinary school in July.

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“He left out the door without telling me he loved me,” said Almond. “This is hard.”

Police say Henderson was killed after a robbery that occurred shortly before the shooting. The exact motive of the killing has not been released.

Whiteside was quickly identified as a suspect after the murder on Saturday.

Henderson’s mother says justice will help her heal.

“There’s nothing he could have did that should cost him his life,” she said.

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