Bernette Hogan said her son loved gatherings and fellowship and to see people happy.
“I’m not angry. I’m disappointed, and I’m hurt and grieving,” she said.
John Hogan said his nephew was spiritual and “a truly gifted individual” and did not have any kind of violent past. He recalled watching his nephew’s work on animation.
“He sat at that table for hours just concentrating on the detail of the animation, and by the time he was done, me being an artist myself, I was impressed and a little envious of his dedication and determination to finish this and to get it to look just right,” he said. “In the end, it was amazing. I couldn’t believe he did all this on this little computer … all by hand and just his imagination.”
Trotwood Mayor Mary McDonald said in a statement Tuesday: “Our community is deeply saddened by the loss of the life of Mr. Andrew Hogan. This incident is never one our city wants to see. Our hearts are with his family and our officers who each are in pain and sadness at this time.”
Family and friends focused on celebrating Andrew Hogan’s life during the vigil. John Hogan said the family is planning other events aimed at getting justice for Andrew.
“We just want answers,” John Hogan said before the vigil began. “The only information that we have is by the perpetrators who did it. Somebody killed somebody and we have to get answers by the person who killed him. Now whose best interest is that in?”
Andrew Hogan was shot and killed Friday night following a shoplifting complaint at a Trotwood Speedway store, police said. During a news conference Monday afternoon, Trotwood Police Chief Erik Wilson said Hogan struck an officer during a struggle and later was armed with a knife.
Hogan’s family has questioned that account of the shooting.
“If there were cameras, we wouldn’t have all these different stories, we will have the truth. I don’t believe anything right now,” Bernette Hogan said on Sunday during an NAACP Dayton Unit news conference.
The Trotwood Police Department does not have body cameras. Wilson said it is costly, but that it is a priority for him to work with city leaders on how to find funding to equip his officers with cameras.
Michael Wright said after the vigil that his law firm, Wright & Schulte LLC, is representing the family.
“We’re trying to find out what happened,” Wright said. “There are multiple stories of what occurred. … It really is infuriating that Trotwood doesn’t have body cams. They should have body cameras so there wouldn’t be any question as to what happened.”
Wilson said he and his department are committed to the truth.
“I would like to send my condolences to the Hogan family. My heart and prayers go out to them as they deal with this tragic event,” Wilson said during the Monday press conference.
Three officers are on administrative leave for their involvement in the shooting. Wilson said the department is being transparent with the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigations, which is handling the investigation.
Staff writers Jen Balduf, Parker Perry and India Duke contributed to this report.
