East Bay father who saved at-risk youth killed, suspect appears in court

RICHMOND, Calif. (KGO) -- An East Bay father who dedicated his life to empowering at-risk youth after his own son was murdered has also died from violence.

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The suspect made his first court appearance Thursday.

"It's horrible. It's horrible," said Landrin Kelly's cousin Johnnie Dempsey, who says it feels like his family is reliving 2004 all over again.

That's the year De La Salle football star Terrance Kelly was shot to death in Richmond just days before leaving to play at Oregon on a scholarship.

Terrance's father turned his grief into activism by launching the TK Youth Foundation It provides outreach to at-risk youth empowering them to succeed and stay out of trouble.

"Landrin was a pillar in this community," said Dempsey. "You know, he was out there doing the work. This is the one thing that kept him alive, keeping his son alive and his name out there and more importantly to save kids."

Vallejo police say 48-year-old Kelly was hurt during a fight outside a home on the 700 block of Virginia Street in Richmond on Feb. 11 and died in the hospital a couple days later.

During that fight, Kelly was knocked to the ground. Police say witnesses withheld that information and told paramedics he simply fell.

Dempsey says Landrin was attacked. "He got sucker punched," he told ABC7 News. "His back was turned and somebody...he got sucker punched."

Police arrested Kevin Jackson, 49, of Vallejo for Kelly's murder. Dempsey says sadly, that's one of Landrin's oldest friends. He's not sure why they fought.

The family's focus is now getting justice and also keeping Kelly and Terrance's memories alive by finding a way to continue the TK Youth Foundation.