Ladarius Clardy's father grieves son's murder: 'I never thought I'd be on this side'

A rainbow curved across the sky in Pensacola on Friday evening as rain fell on the site of the latest violent gun crime to rock the community.

Showers dispersed a gathering of an estimated 50 friends and family members of former Pine Forest High School quarterback star Ladarius "LD" Clardy, who was killed early Thursday morning in a shooting. 

No arrests had been made in the case as of Friday evening as authorities continued to urge anyone with information related to the case to come forward.

The ECSO posted on its Facebook page Friday evening that it was seeking three individuals for questioning only in connection to the case: Taziah Dekal McHenry, 20, Melvin Douglas Hester III, 18, and Nicholas Joseph Wells, 19.

Wells and McHenry were located and no longer sought for questioning by ECSO as of Saturday morning.

Latest on the case:ECSO seeking three individuals for questioning only in Ladarius Clardy shooting

Looking for leads:Authorities seek public's help to solve murder of former Pine Forest quarterback

Remembering LD:'He had it all': Shock, grief rock Pensacola community at Pine Forest star's death

By Friday, a makeshift memorial near Fairfield Drive and Hollywood Avenue marked the spot where authorities say Clardy ran his car off the road and crashed into an embankment after more than 50 rounds were fired at the vehicle.

Clardy, 18, was pronounced dead at the scene, and his 19-year-old passenger was injured and transported to the hospital, where authorities said he underwent surgery Thursday.

Ladarius Clardy's father, Ladaron, confirmed Friday to the News Journal that Eric Young was the passenger in his son's vehicle when the shooting took place.

Young remained hospitalized but conscious Friday, according to Ladaron Clardy.

"He’s talking now. So we’re just praying that he recovers," he said. "Eric means a lot to me also. All these kids in the community mean a lot to me.

“I want to see the kids in the community win. Stop seeing us kill each other. I never thought I’d be on this side.” 

A 2019 PNJ Super Senior, Young was Clardy's top target at wide receiver during their senior season, catching 48 passes for 703 yards and four touchdowns out of the slot. 

Young garnered light interest from Division I schools like the University of Connecticut and ultimately joined teammate Vontarious Hill in signing to Coahoma Community College, a junior college in Mississippi.

Over three varsity seasons, Young caught 112 passes for 1,535 yards and 12 touchdowns, almost exclusively with Clardy at quarterback. 

Pine Forest community comes together in grief, shock

The shock of the week's violence continued to resonate through the Pine Forest and greater Pensacola sports community on Friday. 

“I honestly don’t know how to explain it," said former Pine Forest student Rondale Weaden, who played football and ran track with both Clardy and Young. "There’s no words that can describe how I’m feeling right now because they actually were my two best friends." 

Attendees at Friday's vigil included mothers like Cindy Martin, whose son, Matthew, was killed by gun violence in Pensacola in 2012. 

Others, such as former Pine Forest student Mi'Trez Rawls, were wrangling with the tragedy of losing a childhood friend. 

"He's been my brother since we were 11 years old," Rawls said, referring to Clardy. "My brother meant a lot to the community. He was always there for everybody. If he didn't have a left hand, he'd still try to give it to you. You'd never catch him without a smile on his face." 

Rawls' sentiment was echoed by many at the event who have known the Clardy family for more than a decade, watching the family work to realize their dreams together.

Clardy, who graduated from Pine Forest in 2020 as the school's all-time leading passer, played with NCAA Division I FCS Kennesaw State University. He was also a track and field star at Pine Forest.

"(LD) made a great impact and was successful in everything that he did," his father said. "Whether that's football, track, baseball, the classroom. ... He was given a chance to live his dream of being a college football player.

"He earned the chance to have a full-ride college scholarship. He lived life like a young king, I can say that."

On Friday, condolences for Clardy's murder reached a national level on social media. 

Influential Instagram accounts such as "MyMixtapez," which boasts 1.3 million followers, included a post about Clardy's murder, which received almost 100,000 likes and more than 2,500 comments. 

Pensacola-based youth sports organizations such as DoWork Sports included Young in prayer lists and social media posts in the aftermath of the crime on Thursday.

Throughout Friday's gathering, balloons, yard signs, youth football jerseys and more memorabilia pile up at the intersection of Fairfield and Hollywood as friends and family sought to come to grips with Clardy's death under a steadily-increasing drizzle of rain. 

Many embraced the elder Clardy and held him close as emotions overwhelmed a father standing at the site of his son's sudden death. 

Others were forced to walk away from the scene as tears and agony proved too much to bear. 

"I feel like I'm dreaming. I never thought I'd wake up to this," Clardy said. "I wanted it to be the opposite way around: My son burying me and not me burying LD." 

Eric J. Wallace can be reached at ejwallace@pnj.com or 850-525-5087.