Sean Gamble's friends and family shared tears, laughter and flashes of anger Monday night at a candlelight vigil for the 22-year-old killed in this weekend's nightclub melee.
Close to 200 huddled together for 80 minutes on the Woodlawn High School football field, where Gamble had been a star football player, to pray, sing and remember the young man — called "Loz" by many — for his cheerfulness, his fierce athletic spirit and his strong sense of friendship and family.
"He was charismatic, always with a smile, always in a good mood," says Tyra Wildy, a classmate and former manager of the football team. "He was loved by a lot."
Meanwhile, officials and friends spoke up Monday to praise William H. Torbit Jr., the officer apparently killed by friendly fire outside the Select Lounge nightclub, recalling him as a dedicated public servant and family man.
A weary Police Commissioner Frederick H. Bealefeld III, addressing reporters at a news conference after speaking to Torbit's family, said Torbit "loved being a cop and worked really hard at it." He said Torbit, 33, was one of nine children, and his death has "deeply affected" his family, who declined through a liaison to speak with reporters.
Michael Mfume, son of Kweisi Mfume, the former Baltimore congressman and NAACP president, said Torbit was a family man who loved to travel and often returned while off-duty to the community he policed to make sure it was safe for kids to play.
"He had a unique bond with the community," said Mfume, 40. "He always wanted to be more than just a police officer."
At the vigil Leonard Hart, Woodlawn High's former football coach, recalled Gamble as one of the best athletes he ever worked with. Gamble went on to play semiprofessional football with the Baltimore Saints.
Others noted his musicality — Gamble sang in the high school choir — and his growing responsibility as a father. He was due to be married in March, family and friends say. His 2-year-old son, Sean Jr., held a cell phone during the vigil as others held candles.
"Sean was one of the best fathers I ever met," said Mark-Anthony Montgomery, a friend and high school teammate who said Gamble treated him like a brother.
Gamble's parents thanked the crowd for turning out to remember their son and asked for their prayers — and to remember their son by trying harder to appreciate each other and to get along better.
"My heart is hurting," said his mother, Lucette Gamble, 47. "There's nothing but Christ keeping me here right now." She added: "I didn't know he touched this many people."
Most expressed sadness at losing a friend and someone they looked up to.
"It seems like anytime someone good comes along, they always got to go," said a friend, O.D. Jackson. "It don't make no sense."
But some expressed confusion and anger over his death.
"This should never have happened," said Nadine Williams Holmes, who said her son went to school with Gamble. "Just because police officers are given a badge and gun does not give them the right to start shooting. ... 41 shots, all by Baltimore police — what's wrong with this picture?" She called for improved training for the police.
"Sean is in heaven," she added, "but he didn't have to go there."
Holmes also drew nods and murmurs of agreement as she said she was "appalled" that Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake hadn't even mentioned Gamble in her public statements since the shooting. She said he was just as much a victim of the violence that claimed a police officer and injured others.
"This is not going to be just washed over, "she said. "This hurts all of us …. He did not deserve it. Neither did the other victims that were shot."
In a statement on Torbit, the city police union president, Robert F. Cherry, described him as a city native who was well-liked by the community and his fellow officers. Rawlings-Blake called Torbit a "hardworking narcotics officer who served the Central District with great honor."
And the Rev. Zollie Bagby, pastor of Village Baptist Church at 100 S. Hilton St., recalled Torbit as "just an outstanding young man." Though the Torbits attended a different church, Bagby said their children had grown up together.
Meanwhile, the city Police Department was struggling to cope with the loss of an officer, the fourth to die since October and the first killed in an on-duty attack since January 2007.