The chattering amongst the roughly 300 people that filled Foellinger Auditorium silenced as Tyrone Williams’ family entered the memorial service.

The service was held Monday at 7:30 p.m. in honor of the 19-year-old University student who was killed in Chicago by gunshots Friday evening.

The audience was filled with T-shirts worn by members of 100 Strong – a registered student organization Williams was involved in – in his remembrance.

Reverend Dewayne Davis, pastor of New Beginnings Baptist Church in Chicago, knew Williams because he had been a member of his church since he was born.

“In essence, it saddens my heart that a young person has to be a victim of random gun violence,” Davis said.

Though there may have been lots of tears, there were also a few laughs as the speakers reminisced about Williams’ life.

Cornelius Carpenter, a friend of Williams from the 100 Strong group, said he saw Williams right before his death.

“I work for a funeral home, and unfortunately I see people my age die every day,” Carpenter said. “This really took home because I just saw him less than 24 hours before he passed.”

The Black Chorus sang two musical selections and the “If Only for a Moment Slide Show” that displayed numerous photos of Williams caused some of the mourners to leave the service in sorrow.

Friends used words such as “family-oriented” and “little big brother” to describe Williams during the memorial.

Paige Ligon, a friend of Williams, recounted during the service that she lived near Williams prior to college but didn’t develop a friendship with him until she arrived at the University.

“He always looked after us like a father,” she said.

An after-service was held at the African-American Cultural House, which also offered counseling services for students. Williams’ funeral will take place Friday, Oct. 2 at 10 a.m. at the New Beginnings Baptist Church in Chicago.