Family and friends gathered to honor 17-year-old Reginald “RJ” Harrell after he was fatally stabbed while working at a McDonald’s.

HOUSTON — Family and friends gathered to honor 17-year-old Reginald “RJ” Harrell after he was fatally stabbed while working at a McDonald’s at the intersection of Grant and Louetta earlier this week. 

A 16-year-old involved in the incident has been charged with murder, according to police. The gathering brought together more than a dozen people who are struggling to understand the loss of a teenager remembered as a loving son and brother.



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The memorial included a balloon release featuring RJ’s favorite colors. As the balloons rose into the sky, family and friends came together to remember his life and support one another through their grief.

For RJ’s mother, Denisha Dennis, the loss of her only son remains difficult to process.

“It’s very difficult. I can’t even process this information,” Dennis said.

Dennis said her son had been called in to work on his day off. Police say a co-worker stabbed him, leaving him lifeless in the bathroom. The killing has left his family trying to make sense of a tragedy that has changed their lives.

RELATED: Teen killed at Houston-area McDonald’s was working on his day off, family says

“He was left in the bathroom lifeless,” Dennis said.

Despite the circumstances surrounding his death, those gathered for the memorial focused on remembering the person RJ was to the people who loved him. His sister, Kourtnee Dennis, described him as someone who kept to himself but cared deeply for those close to him.

“My brother stayed to himself. Looked out for who he loved. He would give you my last if he loved you,” she said.

For his mother, the memories also bring the painful realization that she will never again be able to hug or hold her son.

Dennis reflected on the difference between having a child who is still alive and being left to visit a grave, knowing that her son can no longer speak to her.

“They still have a chance to see the child. I can visit a grave, and my son doesn’t talk back to me,” she said.

As family and friends gathered, the balloon release offered a moment to honor RJ and remember the life he had ahead of him.

The gathering ended with a message of love for the teenager, whose death has left his family and friends grieving a life cut short.

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