Balloon release held in honor of teen who drowned at Moss Lake

SHELBY, N.C. — A balloon release was held to honor the life of a Cleveland County teen that drowned at Moss Lake on Friday.

Jeremiah Roberts, 18, was a senior at Shelby High School, a student-athlete, and only had two months left until graduation.

Friends and family gathered at the lake at 3 p.m. on Sunday to celebrate a life that was taken too soon. Together, they stood at the edge of the lake before releasing multiple balloons.

A friend of Roberts’, Tadarrian Griffin, was with Roberts the night he drowned. He told Channel 9 it feels unreal without his friend, but he is thankful for the support from the community.

“It’s definitely so unreal that this is happening right now because he was just with me like he was with me for 48 hours,” Griffin said. “We were at a track meet, we were at school... but just seeing everyone out here to support him and knowing that they are supporting him, that feels good to know that.”

A GoFundMe has been started to help with Roberts’ funeral expenses. You can find it on our Latest Links page here.

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