Terrance Givens was celebrating

Victim’s great-aunt: Someone chose to ‘shoot at random people’

his birthday when, his great-aunt says, someone driving down the street where the party was held shot randomly at people. Givens died a day before turning 17.

Terrance Givens’ 17th birthday fell on a school night, so he decided to celebrate a few days early.

He invited about 50 or 60 family and friends to a party and barbecue Saturday night in his family’s Pine Hills home.

He was standing on the front porch of the house on Kingsland Avenue, near Pine Hills and Silver Star roads, when he was shot about 10:25 p.m.

“He just wanted to be with his friends and have fun, that’s it,” said his great-aunt, Tammy Givens Jackson. “He’s home. He’s not out in the streets, he’s not selling drugs. He’s literally at his home, where you’re supposed to be safe, and someone chose to drive down the street and shoot at random people. And it’s just sickening.”

Terrance died on Sunday, a day before his 17th birthday. An 18-year-old woman also was shot in the foot but has since been released from Orlando Regional Medical Center.

Orange County deputies have “no known motive for the fatal shooting,” agency spokeswoman Jane Watrel said Monday, and are looking for suspects.

The death is the 98th homicide in Orange County since Jan. 1, not including the 49 people killed in the Pulse nightclub attack in June. At this time last year, there had been 84 homicides in the county.

Two of those killed last year were teenagers. This year, Terrance is the 11th teenager to be killed in Orange County.

Givens Jackson remembered her great-nephew as a loving son with a big personality and an infectious smile. He was the middle child in a family of five boys.

“He was the jokester,” Givens Jackson said. “He was the one that made everyone laugh and smile. He had such a beautiful, bright smile.”

Before his great-grandmother died of cancer, Terrance often stopped by her house to see if she needed help, Givens Jackson said. When she told him she

needed something from the store, he would walk over and pick it up for her.

The high school student was looking forward to his birthday, Givens Jackson said.

Now the family is “inconsolable and distraught,” she said.

His four brothers — two older and two younger — are also dealing with his death.

“Honestly, I haven’t been able to talk to them,” Givens Jackson said. “They’re very quiet, you know? They’re thinking about what happened on a family day.”

Investigators are offering a $5,000 reward for information about a suspect. Tipsters can call Crimeline at 407-423-8477.