Amari Peterson was every coach’s dream.
“I’ve been coaching over 39 years, and this is the kind of kid we wait for,” said Mike Estrada, director of the Central Valley Hornets youth basketball league. “He had so much to offer the world.”
But Amari never got that chance. His life was cut short at age 14 on Saturday night. He and three others were killed in a hail of bullets at a child’s birthday party in Stockton, an attack that wounded more than a dozen others.
Whether it was basketball, football or track, Amari embraced it all with gusto. And he did it all while maintaining a 3.8 grade point average, according to Stockton Vice Mayor Jason Lee, who spoke with Amari’s mother.
Estrada said Amari not only had talent as a three-point shooter, but he was a complete player: “a fantastic kid, always well-mannered, never in trouble.” Always smiling. Down-to-earth. A natural talent without being selfish on the court or a showboat.
He credited Amari’s close-knit Modesto family for keeping him, his brother and sister involved in team sports. The teen not only played in the extracurricular Salida-based basketball league, but on a youth football team as well, Central Saints Youth Football and Cheer, founded in 1993 in Modesto.
Amari’s love of sports almost spared his attendance at the fateful party Saturday night. His father, Patrick Peterson, told FOX40 that Amari initially asked to skip the family birthday party. He wanted to stay home and shoot baskets.
Ultimately, he joined family to attend the event.
When the shooting started, Peterson told ABC10 that his son was struck by a single bullet in his chest and that he did all he could to try to revive him. Overwhelmed by grief, he said, “I can’t see why God would let something like this happen.”
A GoFundMe page created for the family had raised more than $45,000 toward funeral expenses and other costs, with donations from more than 1,000 people.
“Amari was a football player, a basketball player, a brother, son, and cousin. He was making plans and looking into colleges of choice. He was NOT involved in any gang activity. The only mistake this sweet boy made was being in the wrong place at the wrong time. He was simply being a kid at a kids’ party,” said the appeal on the GoFundMe page, which was created by Aresha Mosley, who identified herself as Amari’s godmother and aunt.
Both the Central Valley Hornets, where Amari wore the uniform numbers 4 and 23, and the Central Saints, where he sported number 28 on the gridiron, honored Amari in social media posts. The Hornets’ post noted he was “loved by everyone.” The Saints called him “bright, talented and unforgettable.”
Estrada said Amari was so good in basketball that he was moved up a division, playing with older kids. He could even hold his own with high school-age players.
Although Amari wasn’t especially tall for his age — standing about 5-foot-6 — he was quick and a threat from the three-point line, his coach said.
“Once he shot a few three-pointers, you’re not going to stop him,” Estrada said.
He also was charismatic, capable of helping rally his teammates — the Central Valley Lakers at home and the Hornets on away games — when they fell behind on the scoreboard.
For Estrada, a time normally reserved for holiday celebrations has turned into a struggle to cope with Amari’s death.
“All my coaches, they say they can’t get over it,” said Estrada, his voice thick with emotion. He said he’s lost sleep over the tragedy.
“It’s tough.”
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