Coaches, teammates, classmates, and friends gathered at Whitmore Park in Ceres on Tuesday evening to remember Amari Peterson, a 14-year-old student who was killed in a mass shooting in Stockton. The candlelit vigil included posters of Amari in sports uniforms with the phrase “Forever 14” and bandanas bearing his name.
Amari was one of four people killed, including three children, during a shooting at a toddler’s birthday party at a banquet hall on November 29. His coaches from the Ceres Jr. Bulldogs football program shared their memories and grief.
“We won’t see him at our games. But in spirit, he will be there. These are our kids. And they’re dying from gun violence. There has to be justice,” said Jr. Bulldogs President Joe Estrada. “We come to honor the little life that he lived. Fourteen years. Just turned 14. Forever 14.”
Amari attended Prescott Junior High in Modesto and played multiple sports, earning the nickname “Ferrari Mari.” Team mom Carol Grimes recalled his speed and determination: “My goodness, Amari was fast, so fast. I understand exactly why his dad called him Ferrari,” she said at the vigil. “He was driven, focused and full of potential. A winner in every sense of the word.”
Estrada mentioned that Amari wanted to support his family someday and that the team would honor him by wearing his jersey number next season—either 33 or 5—chosen by his family.
Janessa Estrada created a slideshow of photos from Amari’s life and painted posters for the event. She described her emotional experience: “It was heartbreaking, but I’m glad we did this for him and for the youth, and for our community to come out here and be this big; it was very nice.”
Umar Muriset, who coached with Amari’s father Patrick Peterson and is close with the family, spoke about Amari’s impact: “Every time you were around him, you felt the energy, the upliftingness, and his smile lifted you up,” Muriset said. “His smile brightened everybody up.”
