Club Blu slaying victim's light burns on; Stef'an Strawder remembered
Stacey Henson
A year after his unsolved slaying at Club Blu, Stef'an Strawder's legacy will not falter, several attendees at a vigil Monday night pledged.
About 60 people gathered to honor the slain Lehigh Senior High basketball standout and Sean Archilles, who were gunned down outside the Fort Myers nightclub after teen night on July 25, 2016. Twelve others suffered gunshot injuries.
Standing in 96-degree weather on blacktop, the group prayed, sang and lit candles in Strawder's memory. Coaches, friends, family and about 14 uniformed officers stood in the parking lot at the former Club Blu site on Evans Avenue near Winkler.
"I believe in God, and things happen for a reason," said Strawder's mother, Stephanie White, wearing a yellow T-shirt with her son's likeness on it,
She stopped at the STARS Complex, where Strawder often played basketball with younger kids, for lunch Monday, just hours before the vigil.
Boys, about 8 to 12, she guessed, pointed her out, saying that's Stef'an's mom. The older one asked a younger one, "you remember Stef'an?" and the younger one said of course he did, she recounted.
"They still talk about him playing basketball," White said with pride. "He was a respectful kid and loved to play basketball. He was an all-round perfect young man."
Lee County Sheriff Sgt. Sylvester Smalls agreed. Strawder's last videotaped appearance was at Smalls' first Showcase, which featured 40 basketball players destined for the college basketball ranks, four of which played for schools in Southwest Florida.
Three have advanced to college ball, Smalls said. Strawder would have been looking at colleges, too.
Smalls said Strawder had great things ahead of him, and they talked about life and college all the time. Their conversations centered on getting good grades and "the rest taking care of itself."
Smalls imagined different talks this year.
"We would be having a conversation on where he was going (to college)," he said.
At 5 p.m. Wednesday, 40 players from across the U.S., including Indiana, South Carolina and Georgia will play in the free, renamed, NCAA-sanctioned Stef'an Strawder Memorial Showcase.
"His legacy is creating opportunity for others," Smalls said.
Dsean Archilles arrived late to the vigil, quietly representing his younger brother, Sean Archilles. While he is upset there's no arrests in the shootings, he says the police are doing their job.
"It's not really getting anywhere," he said. He recalls his brother as funny and always telling jokes.
The Fort Myers Police Department has forwarded the case to the state attorney's office. Chief Derrick Diggs declined comment, saying the department does not comment on active investigations.
Case before the state attorney
"It's a prayer vigil," Diggs said. "We're here to show support and show concern."
Timothy Settles bears the marks from the Club Blu shooting. Shot in the right side of his neck, a dime-sized spot is surrounded by raised scar tissue, with other scars from fragments dotting the skin around it.
He's a quiet man.
"I've got a lot on my mind," he said when asked about the night he almost died, declining to elaborate.
He was there to honor Strawder, as was Strawder's uncle, Keith White, who led the vigil.
He was struck by those who attended to show support and told them, "these murders will be solved."
He urged people to come forward if they knew anything about the perpetrators, while thanking the police for their efforts.
"Thank you for the change we have seen," he said. "and the help the police have given our community."
As the crowd lit candles, he reminded them that Strawder's light continues to burn.
"Everybody loved him," he said. "You can tell just by looking at that impact. His legacy will live on."