Earlier this month, a Maryland couple attended graduation at North Carolina Central University and accepted the diploma for their son, who was killed just days before.
Business major Myles Gresham, 22, was shot in the parking lot at his off-campus apartment last month, before he could embark on his career.
“I’m so hurt that someone took that away from us, but he also gave us 22 really beautiful years,” said his mother, Cheryl Gresham.
He dreamed of pursuing interests in real estate and a music studio.
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“Originally, saying, I’m just doing it for you, and then he actually did it for himself, and that meant a lot,” his mother said. “That gave me a lot of peace.”
Police have made no arrests.
“Part of, for me at least, closure is being able to identify who did this, this kind of travesty to our son and for them to be held accountable,” said his father, Darrell Gresham.
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His parents learned through the tragedy their son touched many lives. They met many of his friends they didn’t know before. They spoke of the impact he had and how he had helped them along the way
When they returned to their home in Upper Marlboro, they found someone had tampered with more than a dozen sympathy cards mailed to them, looking for cash or gift cards.
“No one deserves this, his mother said. “It’s a federal offense.”
The Greshams are finding ways to remember and honor their son.
“What I would really hope is that people would communicate how much they love one another to one another,” his mother said. “That was the last thing I said to him was, ‘Love you, Myles.’”
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