'I'm just numb' -- Community mourns loss of Pine Hills activist gunned down at barbershop

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Family and friends gathered at a Pine Hills barbershop Thursday night to remember a local mentor who deputies said was gunned down inside the business.

The candlelight vigil for Brian Berry comes as Orange County deputies continue to search for the man’s killer.

“I’m just numb. I don’t know how to process it,” said Tranise Brown, a friend of the victim. “I can’t understand how someone can take this man’s life away from his wife and family.

The shooting at the Strictly Skillz Barber Shop and Salon killed Berry, 43.

“He was that type of guy that would give out a hand, look out for you. Basically, give you a chance,” said coworker Mario Anderson.

The gunfire broke out shortly before 8:30 p.m. Wednesday at the barbershop in the 400 block of North Pine Hills Road near State Road 408.

Anderson said a man stormed into the store as it was closing, pointed a gun and demanded money.

"Guy just runs in with his weapon drawn," Anderson said. "He had on a black hoodie with a bandana wrapped around his face.

“The money I had in my pocket, I took it out and threw it in the middle of the floor. After that, he just started shooting."

Deputies said when they got to the scene, they found Berry shot to death and Reginald Trammel, 36, with a non-life-threatening gunshot wound.

Red roses and white candles were set up outside the barber shop Thursday.

"I don't know how it happened, and I don't know why they would just take somebody so innocent like that," Brown said of Berry. "That guy is a good guy. He has a family, he invests in his family, he has been here for years. Seemed like somebody that would live for a long time."

Berry’s friend Gregory Turner said he knew Berry for more than two decades.

“It’s a real big loss in the community,” he said. “He (gave) free haircuts to the kids every Wednesday and Thursday.”

Turner said he’ll always remember how helpful Berry was to the community.

Berry, a husband and father of two, and Trammel were involved in a civil rights lawsuit filed after their barbershop was raided by deputies in 2010. They claimed deputies used excessive force during the raid.

A lengthy legal battle ensued, but the case was eventually settled.

Attorney Natalie Jackson said that supporting the community was what mattered to Berry.

“So to see that someone didn't think his life mattered, it really bothers me, and I know it bothers the community,” Jackson said.

Deputies said the investigation in ongoing and they did not release any information about a possible suspect.

Cox Media Group