BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. — A Boynton Beach family is grieving the loss of a bright, talented teen whose dreams were as big as his heart.
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Sixteen-year-old Charles Morris Jr., affectionately known as CJ, died Friday after being shot last Wednesday. Police said he was found with a gunshot wound to the head inside a vacant home on Northeast Sixth Street. Investigators believe he was robbed before the shooting. No arrests have been made.
But those who loved CJ want the world to know — his life was so much more than the tragedy that took him.
"He was just a kid who loved people," said his uncle, Otis Evans. "It just hurts, man. It don't make no sense."
Evans raised CJ as his own son while the boy's father was in prison. The pair formed a close bond, built around a shared love of motocross. That love started when CJ asked for a dirt bike one Christmas.
"I gave it to him," Evans recalled. "And he became really good at motocross."
By the time CJ was 7, he had qualified for the national motocross competition at Loretta Lynn's Ranch in Tennessee — a major achievement for a young rider. Evans created his first GoFundMe campaign to raise money so CJ could compete with some of the best young riders in the country. Their story was even featured on WPTV in 2016.
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"He's 16 now and at 16 in motocross, you'd be getting ready to sign a pro contract," Evans said. "I really know he could've done it."
CJ also excelled in football and basketball — outlets Evans hoped would keep him grounded and away from trouble. But last week, everything changed.
"He had a great run," Evans said. "It just sucks that it was cut short. Here I am — I sell cars — and I never got the opportunity to sell that kid his first car. He never got to go to prom."
Evans said CJ was known for his playful energy, his sense of humor, his love of dancing and the way he lit up a room. Now, the uncle who once raised money to send him to a motocross competition is raising money again — this time, to give him a proper burial.
"It was about getting him out of that environment, in a positive way," Evans said. "And you know… we lost. I lost. It ended up taking him anyway."
Anyone with information about the shooting is urged to contact Boynton Beach Detective Vargas by emailing VargasA@bbfl.us or calling 561-742-6163.
To donate to CJ's funeral cost, click here.
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