Neighbors, friends and family came together last night to remember a smart young man with his eye on the future whose plans were cut short by a gunshot early Sunday.

A crowd of about 300 people sang hymns and prayed for 16-year-old Ricky M. Burton. Candles were distributed through the crowd and some of the young men wore long, white T-shirts with Burton's picture and the words "Da Good Die Young."

"I just saw Ricky at Wendy's," said Alicia Rasin, founder of Citizens Against Crime, who organized the vigil. Burton worked at the fast-food restaurant.

"Some of you all know who did this," Rasin said. "Call the police. Let the police handle it."

Burton was shot after returning home from work at about 1:30 a.m. in front of Delmont Village Apartments on the 3700 block of Delmont Street, off Laburnum Avenue near Richmond International Raceway. He died shortly after arriving at VCU Medical Center.

Yesterday, Henrico County police identified a person of interest in Burton's killing.

Police say they are looking for Lyndrell Demond "Bootsie" Hawkins, who authorities say may have been present when Burton was killed. Hawkins, 28, is described by police as 5-feet, 10-inches tall and 220 pounds.

Henrico police Lt. Doug Perry said robbery was the motive for the shooting.

Hawkins is believed to live in the neighborhood, either on Delmont or Grayson streets or Engleside Drive.

At the vigil, Diane Cosby, a longtime friend of Tonja Burton, Ricky's mother, remembered an intelligent young man who never had any problems. Cosby said Burton, a rising junior at Henrico High School, wanted to go to college.

"I was shocked to hear it," Cosby said. "His mama took it hard. She took very good care of him -- it's a shock to her."

"Things like this don't happen here," said Laura Robertson, who lives around the corner from where Burton was found.

"This is a quiet neighborhood," Robertson said, "We have a neighborhood watch."

Patsy Anderson's grandson asked her to bring him to his classmate's vigil.

"My heart breaks for the mother," Anderson said. "It brings back memories -- it hurts." Anderson said her own 16-year-old son, James Miller, was gunned down in Richmond in 1989.

"He was trying to go to school," Anderson said of Burton, "his life cut down -- it's unjustified. They're supposed to bury us -- we shouldn't be burying our children."

Anyone with any information about the shooting is asked to call Henrico police at (804) 501-5000 or Crime Stoppers (804) 780-1000.
Contact Linda Dunham at (804) 775-8126 or ldunham@timesdispatch.com.