Hundreds honor the life of slain Indianapolis peace activist Ron Gee – Indianapolis News | Indiana Weather

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Family, friends and community activists gathered Monday night to remember the life of slain anti-violence leader Ron Gee.

Gee was shot and killed Thursday at a gas station on the corner of 38th Street and Arlington Avenue. He founded Cease Fire Indy, an organization that works to end gun violence in Indianapolis. He also owned 1313 Eatery.

Reverend Andrew Znachko of Antioch Church befriended Gee and worked with him to make Indianapolis safer.

“After the first time we were together, he said, ‘Everybody needs to know, you’re my twin.’ I said, ‘Ron, it doesn’t really work that way, man,’ so we started calling each other twin and every room we went into, he would introduce me as his twin. That was who Ron was, he stood up for you,” Znachko said.

Ron organized rallies to call for a ceasefire. Volunteers spread throughout the city, urging people to lay down their weapons.

His daughter, Renee Frieson, said Ron became a victim of the violence he was trying to stop. “For a man who wanted to change his community for the better, to have gun violence taken away makes a difference, it doesn’t just affect me differently because it’s my dad, it affects everyone differently because this is exactly what he fought for.”

Gee’s son Ron Jr. said that besides being a peacemaker, he was also a devoted father who took him camping and fishing trips.

Although his death still hurts, Ron Jr. is determined to carry on his father’s legacy.

“This is what he would have wanted, all these people here are for my father and we are going to continue this. He started this, so we have to finish it.”

Indianapolis Metropolitan Police are still investigating Gee’s murder.