(KTXL) — The Grant Union High School class of 2023 just had their graduation without one of their own.

18-year-old Billy Scott did not get to walk across that stage because his life was taken at the hands of gun violence late Wednesday evening. 

His sisters say he was a family man, his dad called him a good kid, and they are sure that whoever did this did not know him.

They say that to know him was to love him.

“I was so proud of him. Very proud of him.”

The teen was also known as “Little Bill” and “Duddah,” and his family says that they were always by his side, from cheering him on at Grant Union High School football games to championing all his hopes and dreams.

“To know him was to love him,” said his sister BilleDee.

His father, Billy Sr., said “He wanted to be something in life. He strived for that. He always told me he was going to get to a point where he can take care of his dad. So, his dad does not have to work anymore.”  

They were going to do the same here at Grant Union High School’s graduation Thursday night. That one big moment taken away.

“We’ve barely slept, barely ate,” said Ruby Scott, another of the younger Billy’s sisters.

“If I stay still, that is what will be on my mind, and I’ll be weeping all day long. But I try so hard to keep pushing for my family,” Billy Sr. said.

“That was my son, I loved him so much. So much. It hurt me. But I knew I had to do that for him,” Billy Sr. continued.  

As law enforcement still searches for Scott’s killer, the teen’s family shares their story and a message.

“There needs to be a change, they need to stop. They need to put down the guns. Love each other, encourage each other, to make this world a better place,” Billy Sr. said.