Remembering Nyreese Moore and all victims of gun violence

We grieve for the three young men – Isiah Williams, Naasir Folk and Nyreese Moore – whose lives were taken in shooting incident on August 11 at 8th and Diamond Playground, where WURD had just convened one day before for the final Summer of Freedom event. The WURD Radio team was sad to learn of Nyreese’s passing, as he had been connected to WURD as far back as 2014 when he was a young teenager.

Nyreese was a mentee of our former production manager Khaleef Aye, and would often attend and pitch in to help at various WURD events. Most recently, he joined WURD last December for our Empowerment Experience, where he impressed The Source host Andrea Lawful-Sanders so much that she invited him to be a guest on her show’s Project 35 segment.

WURD wants the world to remember Nyreese Moore as more than another shooting victim. He was a 22-year-old budding entrepreneur, loving father, son and brother, and a valued member of the WURD family. His passing is a reminder that Philadelphia’s gun violence crisis affects us all.

Former and current WURD staff have shared their memories of Nyreese. You can also listen to his interview with Andrea Lawful-Sanders and a thoughtful conversation about the 8th and Diamond shooting and gun violence with WURD hosts Brother Shomari and Tonya Pendleton.

Khaleef Aye, former production manager at WURD:

This is a moment that I have dreaded since first meeting Nyreese in 2012. I won’t talk about how he met his end violently, last Friday, while playing a game of basketball, across the street from his house. There is enough about that in the news. Instead, I want to give you a small sample of who Nyreese was (is).

Reverend Rice, who called into Black talk radio for years, used to say that “The good you do will never die.”

In the 11 years that I’ve known Nyreese, it seems like being a good person was all that he knew and life was really beginning to reward him for it. Early on, I could see that the main ingredient with him was the love that was poured into him by his family and village. He was so proud to become a father last year. His mother shared with me a video where he’s holding his infant daughter looking into her eyes with a huge smile on his face singing “Mr. Telephone Man.” I haven’t been any good since. He LOVED his daughter and her mother, his family and friends, video games and he was nearly synonymous with the game of basketball. We would travel to tournaments all up and down the east coast and he even represented the country as a part of Team USA in the Bahamas.

Nyreese became part of my family. I looked at him as my son through God. His family embraced me, just the same. Whenever he’d see my mother (most recently, a couple of weeks ago) he’d yell “Hey Beautiful!” and it would just make her entire day.

He genuinely loved helping out at WURD events. It would crack me up to randomly see him post on his Instagram stories while wearing his forWURD shirt. He first helped out with Keaton’s Community Cleanup in 2014 at Duckrey, a school that he’d attended. The prideful grin on his face was basically surgically attached throughout the day. He felt ownership because this was his old school and he was giving back! What I later found out is that he made such an impression at the school during his time there that his face is actually on a mural in the front of the school.

His most recent event was the 2022 Empowerment Experience. He and his brother interviewed the vendors at the event. He was so proud to have the responsibility. When he was interviewed by Andrea on “The Source” I told him “don’t talk about me, I want people to know about you.” He called me immediately afterwards and told me about it. I told him how proud of him I was and we talked for maybe an hour about his plans, his daughter and just life. When I look back at it, Nyreese never really gave me any problems at all. Sure, there was mischief, but it was always just normal teenager stuff.

There is one story that really encapsulates a small portion of the random good that would just come out of nowhere with Nyreese: I would regularly travel to Maryland to produce pro-wrestling events and Nyreese would go with me to film, help out, etc. One time, on our way back, we stopped at a fast-food restaurant. I asked the drive-thru attendant how he was doing and he said that he wasn’t doing great at all. Nyreese engaged the attendant, Todd – a complete stranger – in conversation for 10 or so minutes (it was very late, so we weren’t holding up the line). Afterward, he dapped him up, gave him his number and told Todd to give him a call if he feels like he’s going to do something he’ll regret. Nyreese didn’t do that to go viral, he didn’t do that because he expected something from Todd, he didn’t do that to impress me or anyone else. The only people that knew about it were those involved. He did that because that’s who he has always been. He was special and frequently gave of himself without expectation, because he truly loved people.

I am struggling very heavily with the idea of saying goodbye to Nyreese Moore, so I’ve decided that I’m not going to. I’m never letting go of the random dance contests, the infinite number of inside jokes, the goofiness, the card fights, the positive energy, the countless great memories, I’m not letting ANY of that “Good” go. Nyreese Moore was “The Good” in so many people’s lives. He was a huge part of “The Good” in my life, and that Good will never die.

REESE MOORE!! I love you, my guy! I’ll see you again.

Andrea Lawful-Sanders, host of The Source:

I first laid eyes on Nyreese Moore in December of 2022 at the annual WURD empowerment event, as he greeted everyone around him with exuberance.

He walked over to the host table, told me he was excited to meet us all, and he wanted to share what he was doing as a budding entrepreneur.

That is how he became my Project 35 guest on December 22, 2022.

He was nervous but happy to share his voice in encouraging young people to take the leaps as he had into real estate, building good credit, and creating a legacy that would stand the test of time.

Little did we know, this bright light would be taken from us mere months later.

While I am heartbroken, I remain vigilant in giving young people like Nyreese Moore access to resources, and solutions while learning from them.

Nyle Jacks, Producer and Production Editor:

Nyreese was a very bright young man with a huge future in front of him. He was very educated on whole-selling properties, credit repair, and even started his own clothing line, “Society Universe.” It was a pleasure meeting him, and I’m glad that I was able to feature him on WURD, as part of our “Project 35” segment, which highlights the careers, goals and accomplishments of individuals 35 and under.

Kwasa Mathis, Director of Marketing and Growth and former morning drive producer

I really never thought that I would ever have to write something like this and I don’t know if it’s even possible to find the right words to convey how I truly feel about the loss of Nyreese, who I affectionately called, “Reesey Cups.” Maybe I have to accept the fact that there aren’t really “right” words at this moment. One thing I do know is that the world will never be as bright of a place without him in it and having had the chance to know him, has made a world of difference in my life.

For anyone who ever had the privilege of meeting and knowing Nyreese, immediately off the bat, you could tell that he had a heart of gold and a personality to match. He was never without a smile, always had a hug to give, cracked the corniest of jokes, and knew how to stand out in a crowded space. He was really on a path to just starting to figure things out and I was amazed to see just how quickly he was able to work a room, the last time I saw him. He literally went from helping out at WURD events here and there, to talking his way onto the air with Andrea on “The Source,” but not only that, he talked with purpose and confidence. With pride and enthusiasm. He had started to formulate a plan and that’s way more than I could’ve said when I was his age. Man, was I proud of him. To see him grow up so much in the 6+ years that I knew him, was mind-boggling and to see that growth cut so short, has been earth-shattering.

I will never understand why God makes these decisions and occurrences like this can rock your faith, but I am thankful and grateful to have had the opportunity to know Nyreese. I know we can’t bring you back and it’s devastating that so many people are hurting right now, but it’s also incredibly amazing how many lives and hearts you touched. I’m so hurt that gun violence ripped you away so soon and that your daughter will grow up without her dad, but I also know that you will live on through her and through all of the people that have been blessed to have had you in their lives.

It’s too hard right now to accept what has happened and adjusting to the idea that I’ll never see you again, isn’t easy. At this time, I’d rather not say “goodbye.” “See you later,” feels better. Not letting you go, feels better. Pretending that I’ll see your smile again, just seems…better. Better than facing this very real, reality. So for now…

I’ll see you later Reesey Cups.

… 

For a list of resources on gun violence go to: Up The Block

 Listen to Tonya Pendelton and Brother Shomari discuss gun violence in our community: