Spartanburg County is still mourning the death of Kory Nathaniel Fredericks, a Dorman High School graduate and former track standout who was shot and killed on June 22 in the Academy Sports + Outdoors parking lot in Spartanburg.
He was 17 at the time of the shooting, and a vigil later brought family and friends back to the same parking lot to honor his life.
Deputies were called to 100 Peachwood Center Drive after the shooting and found a large gathering in the parking lot. Kory was taken to the hospital, where he later died.
The coroner identified him as a teen from Duncan, and Dorman District 6 said in the days after his death that its thoughts were with his family and everyone connected to him.
The loss has hit hard because Kory had just graduated from Dorman in May. Friends and family have spent the past months pushing for answers and calling for justice, while also trying to keep his memory alive through tributes and community events.
A prayer vigil and balloon release were held at the Academy Sports parking lot on June 28, where supporters gathered with Dorman colored balloons to celebrate what they called his light that still shines.
A young athlete remembered beyond the field
Kory’s death has become more than a case file for people who knew him. They remember him first as a track athlete, then as a recent graduate with a future that should have been just beginning.
The fact that he had only recently finished high school has made the loss even harder for the Dorman community to process.
At the vigil, family members spoke about how painful it was to lose a child so young. One relative said, “We were never meant to bury our children. They were meant to bury us.”
The comment captured what so many in the crowd were feeling as balloons were released in the same parking lot where the shooting happened.
Community members have also kept the conversation going online.
One commenter wrote, “Oh how sad. What a very handsome young man that could’ve had a bright future.” Another said, “Prayers for justice!”
Others added that the loss felt unnecessary and heartbreaking. Those reactions show how deeply Kory’s death has landed in Spartanburg County, where people are still waiting for answers and hoping for closure.
The sheriff’s office said no arrest had been made at the time of the later vigil, and investigators were still asking anyone with information to come forward.
Family turns grief into a yearly tribute
The family has also begun organizing a 5K run in Kory’s memory, with plans to hold it each year as a way to honor his life and keep his name in the community.
For loved ones, the run is expected to become more than a fundraiser or tribute. It is a way to remember a teenager who had just graduated, a young athlete whose life ended far too soon, and a son, friend and teammate who left behind a big gap in the lives around him.
That kind of remembrance has already started to define the way people are talking about him. Kory was not just a victim in a parking lot shooting.
He was a recent graduate, a track athlete, and a young man whose name still brings people together in grief and support.
For Dorman, for Spartanburg County and for the people who knew him best, the hope now is that the memorials, the prayers and the annual run will keep his story alive while the search for justice continues.
