Khalil Singleton’s parents throw opening pitch to honor slain son

On Friday night, Kareem Singleton and Katrina Dixon stood in the place their son would have stood if a stray bullet from a 2012 gunfight on Hilton Head Island had not ended his life.

Khalil Singleton was 8 years old when he was killed Sept. 1, 2012, as he played near his grandmother’s home.

To honor his memory, his parents were asked to throw out the first pitch on opening night for the Hilton Head Baseball Association.

“We had him in the Hilton Head Baseball Association since he was 4 years old,” Kareem Singleton said. “I taught him (how to play) from being at home, watching it on TV and playing in the yard. He really loved it and took it from there.”

Singleton described his son as a spunky player who did not mind changing positions — first baseman to pitcher to outfielder.

“He loved them all,” the father said. “He loved being at the pitcher spot because, when the younger kids hit the ball, he’d be one of the first ones to get it.”

The ceremonial pitch was not the only reminder of Khalil on the field Friday night.

A banner showed the child in a New York Mets jersey and holding a bat, smiling and ready to play. The bottom of the banner reads “Forever in our Hearts.”

The banner travels to the field Khalil would have played on each season, said Hilton Head Baseball Association board member Matthew Thomas.

The baseball association has also set up a scholarship fund in Khalil’s honor, Thomas said.

For the boy’s father, the trip back to the field has been difficult.

“It’s just so hard for me to go back out there, because it (baseball) was a special thing we shared,” Singleton said.

When his son played, Singleton umpired other games in the league.

All of that stopped when Khalil died.

“I couldn’t get back out after that happened,” he said. “That was the last time I umpired. ... I don’t see myself doing it again.”

Dixon finds some measure of comfort from those who knew her son and his love of the game.

“He was the boy that loved baseball,” she said. “I wish he was still here, because who knows what he would have become just playing baseball? They took that away from me, because I don’t know what his life would have been by now.”

Three men — Aaron Young Sr., Aaron Young Jr. and Tyrone Robinson — were involved in the Allen Road shootout that killed Khalil.

Robinson, who is believed to have fired the fatal shot, was convicted in 2014 and received a life sentence.

Aaron Young Jr. was sentenced to 30 years in prison in February of 2015.

Aaron Young Sr., the final suspect to stand trial, was convicted of Khalil’s murder and the attempted murder of Robinson in August 2015. He also received a 30-year sentence.

None of that lessens the pain his parents continue to feel, they said.

“All of the opportunities I had to grow up and just grow with my son, I can’t do any of those things now,” Singleton said after Aaron Young Sr.’s conviction. “I’m still thankful to God for giving my son to us for as long as we did have him, but all of the other things we are looking forward to, that’s been taken.”

That loss will always be there for Singleton and Dixon.

“It’s real hard and something that you’ll never get over,” Singleton said this week. “Me and my son were very close. It’s extremely hard to see the other kids playing, and I know he would have been playing.”

This story was originally published March 11, 2016 at 4:22 PM with the headline "Khalil Singleton’s parents throw opening pitch to honor slain son."