LANCASTER -- Friends gathered from the late morning into the afternoon Tuesday remembering and mourning Ahmeen Bilal Clanton -- at a scene with the all-too-familiar sight of candles, balloons, alcohol bottles and photos marking the spot where Lancaster's most recent homicide victim suffered a fatal gunshot wound.
Known to many as "Church" or "Meeno Brown," Clanton was killed about 5:30 p.m. Jan. 28 near the corner of Howard Avenue and Shippen Street. Several visitors stopped to talk about the man and pose for photos with a picture of him that was attached to a one-way sign where the memorial stands.
The crime scene is just a few hundred feet away from Church Street, which runs parallel to Howard Avenue.
Fred Jordan, 43, said he and Clanton regularly spent time together to the point that he viewed the slain 30-year-old man as a son. Clanton was one of the first people he met when he got out of prison and moved to Lancaster in 2005, Jordan recalled.
"The one day I was not there and this is what happened," Jordan said. "I don't know what to do now. I'm still waiting on him to call my phone."
Kendell Charles Foster, 24, is accused of killing Clanton and was arrested Jan. 29. Those who gathered Tuesday shared the scant details they have heard, still questioning the narrative being spread concerning Clanton's death.
All who knew Clanton said he would always talk out a situation if he ever had any issues. They noted Foster's criminal record, which includes a conviction for attempted homicide, as a possible explanation for why Foster may have had a short fuse and killed an easy-going man.
Jordan recalled having two mild heart attacks and Clanton's response to help encourage his older friend to get healthier.
"He said, 'Unc, I don't want to see you die," Jordan said somberly. "Now look who's dead."
One friend who visited the shooting scene Tuesday lamented Clanton's death, reticently addressing the loss of someone he had known for years. The man was clearly upset by the death, but without going into specifics, he questioned some of Clanton's life choices and how they might have contributed to his untimely death.
Ultimately, the man said, Clanton was a good person who wouldn't hurt anyone, all while noting the need for someone "not in that life" or trying to be away from the streets to be totally detached from sordid activities.
Another of Clanton's friends addressed the culture of gun violence in Lancaster, pointing to the fact that many of the recent shooting deaths have come at the hands of young, trigger-happy people.
"This is starting to get spooky," the man said of the shoot-first culture he perceives in the city.
The man also noted his own sorrow and unwillingness to accept Clanton's death. He said he had to avoid a vigil Monday evening to remember Clanton.
"I couldn't even come back," the man said.
Jordan and the group of friends who gathered Tuesday were resolute in protecting Clanton's name, emphasizing that he might have had trouble in his youth but was never violent or malicious.
"I don't want anyone disparaging his name," Jordan said.
Christina Smith echoed the sentiment shared by many who knew Clanton, lauding him for being a helpful, caring person. Whether it was buying her food when in need or looking out for her, Smith said Clanton always had her back.
An ex-convict who is known as "Unc" by many neighborhood residents, Jordan said he watched Clanton grow up in the 10 years the pair had been friends. He pointed to his having kids as a major point in Clanton's developing maturity.
Clanton leaves behind two children, ages 8 and 4. Friends said he loved his children and would do anything for them, often buying second-hand clothing for himself in order to afford new clothing for his children.
"When you see his kids, you see him," Jordan said. "They look just like him."
Clanton's funeral is scheduled for noon Feb. 3 at Turay Memorial Funeral Chapel in Philadelphia. A gofundme campaign aiming to raise $6,500 for the burial costs and supporting Clanton's children was created Jan. 30.
"That man loved everybody and everybody loved that man," Jordan said. "He was like the mayor of Lancaster."
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