Family remembers Gretna man killed last month

Leo Torres
Gadsden County News Service

Last month, many in the Gretna community were left mourning after Barry “B.J.” Corker, Jr. was shot and killed in Gretna at the age of 25.
Family members say despite the nature of his tragic end, B.J.’s life offered so much more than that. He was an active member of his community, a state champion, and a devoted son.

“His spirit was like no other,” Barry Corker Sr. said about his son. “Once you get to meet him, there was just something about him you loved about him. Everybody he came in contact with had some kind of affection toward him, from family members to friends. His family all equally loved him the same, he was a big part of each and everybody’s life. He was a very special man; he was a special kid.”

B.J. started participating in youth leagues in Gadsden County when he was just four years old. On the day B.J. was signed up, Corker, Sr. went in wanting to ensure his son had a good coach, as the position was vacant at the time. He was handed a football, and he was declared the new coach to all the parents.

When the time came to see who would coach the same group of kids in basketball, Corker, Sr. answered the call again and went on to coach his son on-and-off for the next several years. When he was later asked to be an assistant coach at West Gadsden High School, where his son played basketball, he jumped at the opportunity.

“That gave me a chance to still be able to coach my son as he got older,” Corker, Sr. said. “That was the opportunity that gave me the chance to win a championship with him.”

Everybody in the community knew B.J. as “Lil B.J. that could play basketball.” It almost seemed like destiny when B.J. and his father lifted the 2016 1A state championship together, marking West Gadsden’s first title in 43 years.

“I told him we were going to win it before we even won it, I knew it in my heart,” Corker, Sr. said. “That was a bright point in my life. Being able to coach something like that with my kid, to make history.”

B.J. worked closely with his father and uncle at J&A Seafood Plus, where he had taken on a leadership role, managing the shop’s day-to-day operations. His father taught him everything he knew, and B.J. had plans of opening his own business one day with his sister.

B.J. strayed from the straight and narrow path his father tried to keep him on.
He faced some struggles, including a period of incarceration, but his father said that became a turning point.

“During that time, he talked with a level-head, and he got a clear mind,” Corker, Sr. said. “He talked consistently about doing the right thing.” He left prison as a man who wanted to do right by the people who loved him. “He wasn’t any different than the average kid,” Corker, Sr. said. “We don’t live in a perfect world. Sometimes you do stuff, your family might be disappointed in you, you might be disappointed in yourself. It was a life changing moment for him.”

B.J. earned his redemption, and he was deeply motivated to succeed at his father’s shop, and in his own personal endeavors. He had an interview for a second job coming up. He was about to move in with his girlfriend. “That’s kind of what hurts the most because he was making all the positive moves that I knew he could make, and I wanted him to make,” Corker Sr. said. “I had confidence in him making it. He had it planned and mapped out. “We come from a praying family and he’s the type who doesn’t like to disappoint his family. From his grandfathers to his grandmothers, I think he realized that he wasn’t gonna turn back. That’s the track he was on.” His cousin, Quincy resident Jamaria Gilyard, said B.J. was a deeply caring person, who wanted everybody to “eat.” “It didn’t matter what it was,” Gilyard said. “Even if he didn’t know you, he would still help you and even try to put you in a better situation than what you’re in. He just had a good heart.”

“B.J. was raised by a village,” Corker Sr. said. “He was raised by his cousins. He was raised by his grandparents. He was raised by the community. That’s why you see the type of love that everybody got for him because he was one of those kids.” Corker, Sr. said B.J. was his best friend. “He was my sunshine, man. He’s still my sunshine.”

They were open books with each other and almost every night, Corker, Sr. talked with him on the phone, usually about whatever sporting event was on TV that night. It didn’t really matter what sport it was. Football, basketball, soccer, hockey, baseball, B.J. loved them all.

“We’re sports fanatics, so our daily talk was ‘who you like tonight, Pops, who you going with tonight, Pops’?” Corker, Sr. said. “That was our daily ritual right there.” Corker, Sr. said it takes a community to prevent crimes like the one that took his son. He said that parents can only do so much to protect their children from harm. “It starts in the community,” Corker Sr. said. “You have to talk and counsel kids. I’ve been working with kids over 20 years. I haven’t met the perfect kid yet. It takes a village. Tell them you love them. It takes everybody around them.”

The public viewing for B.J. took place on May 16 at Bradwell Mortuary in Quincy, Florida. His Celebration of Life was held the next day At West Gadsden Middle School, before his body was laid to rest at Sunnydale Cemetery. His obituary described him as “caring, hardworking and deeply devoted to his family” and that “those who knew him witnessed his inspiring journey of personal growth and positive change.” Many friends and family were there to show their support. One of those supporters was Gilyard. “The family was there. A lot of friends came. It turned out pretty nice,” Gilyard said. “He always showed love to a lot of people, so it was time for people to come out and show him love.” He will never be forgotten by his family or his community. “He was a great kid,” Corker, Sr. said. “He wasn’t perfect, but he was the perfect son.” Anyone with infomation about Corker’s murder is asked to contact:

Anyone with information is urged to contact: