SACRAMENTO, Calif. — This Fourth of July marks one year since an Inderkum High School football coach was shot and killed in Downtown Sacramento. Now, his family reflects and shares their mission on how they plan on changing and improving their community.
For five-year-old Ace, the memories are all he has left of his dad, Greg Najee Grimes.
The 31-year-old father was shot and killed last July 4 outside a nightclub near 15th and L Street in Downtown Sacramento. Nobody has been charged in his death as police are still investigating. Since then, his mother, Deborah Grimes, said she's found a new purpose.
"From August forward, every single month, we decided to gift the city with something special in Najee's name, and that's what we've been doing," she said.
The family launched The Greg Najee Grimes 212 Anchor Foundation to provide scholarships to young athletes, raise awareness on gun violence and hold workshops on life-saving tools in the event of an emergency. Grimes said she and her family did all of this with Najee in mind.
"These are things that Najee already wanted to do, so we're actually expanding his legacy," she said.
With his favorite color, high school and college jersey numbers, photos and a poem, Najee is now resting next to his aunt.
"We were able to capture the essence of Najee and this is what we were aspiring to do," said Grimes.
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