Loved ones remember Thompson as a quiet ‘baller’ with big dreams

KNOXVILLE — Mourners on Thursday remembered the happiness of Anthony Thompson Jr.’s 17 years, not the cause of his death.

Anthony was shot and killed by police in an Austin-East Magnet High School bathroom on April 12. Officers were there to question him about a domestic dispute. Body camera footage shows Anthony had a gun, and the Knox County district attorney general announced this week she will not charge the officers in the shooting.

While the DA has called the shooting self-defense, activists viewed her decision as a step back in the country’s march toward police reform.

Those issues dropped into the background for a short time during Anthony’s memorial. It was a celebration, loud with cheers.

There’s no telling what college Anthony might have attended or what basketball team he might have played for, Bishop Kevin Perry said during the service.

“Rarely was he ever seen without a ball in his hands,” according to his obituary.

Before Anthony attended Austin-East, he was a member of the freshman basketball team at Bearden High School. He also played for B.Maze, a basketball club led by former University of Tennessee player Bobby Maze.

“No baller wants to play ball to a dead crowd,” Perry said during the service, encouraging a round of applause to show Anthony’s family just how many people loved him.

Anthony was just the opposite from the cheering mourners — a quiet boy, Perry said, known for his pleasant demeanor.

“Though he was a man of few words, his life spoke volumes for him,” he said.

If basketball didn’t pan out, he had other dreams. College was going to be his route to becoming a physical therapist. He also aspired to be a rapper.

While some red shirts in the room at Overcoming Believers Church memorialized “Ant,” others had logos with school colors illustrating a connection to Austin-East.

The shirts signified a shared pain the community continues to feel each day. Anthony was the fifth Austin-East student to die in 2021.

Although Anthony is gone, Perry believes “there is another chapter to this story” — a story that’s much bigger than one person. Gun violence continues to be a major problem the community is working to lay to rest.

Before the funeral, friends and family held a visitation, with Anthony in a casket dressed in red — a color of love.

Friends and family were clear Thursday in their love for Anthony. They just wish they could tell him one last time.