SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Family, friends and community members gathered to remember Moses Cannon, 22, Monday. Cannon identified as a woman and was known as "Teish," which is what we'll call her out of respect.
There was one friend who wanted to be at the vigil, but wasn't.
"It's really killing me deep down inside because I want to be there with them and I can't, because they won't accept me," said Cannon's friend Alyssa Davis.
Davis was with Teish when she was shot outside a party on Seymour Street Friday night. It was Davis who called Teish to come over to the house.
"I truly do not want them to think that I had something to do with this, because with them being my friends for eight years, I would never in my life put my friends in any kind of danger," said Davis.
Police say a Syracuse man was killed because he was gay and just a few days after the death, many questions still linger as the city tries to understand what happened to Moses Cannon, 22. Our Giselle Phelps was spoke friends and community members to try to get some answers.
Police believe Teish was killed because she was gay, but don't believe Teish was lured to the party. Those at the vigil are hoping this will be a wake-up call.
"I wish people that's homophobic, like get over your phobia. People were going to be who we are and we're going to stand up to whatever we have to stand up for. You know, accept it. We here and we're not going anywhere," said Syracuse resident Robert Everson.
And local advocates say it's something the whole community can learn from.
"We should be concerned and outraged that this happened, but I think we need to look deeper at the roots of where this hatred comes from," said SU LGBT Resource Center Director Adrea Jaehnig.
Jaehnig says if the evidence points toward a hate crime, it should prosecuted as such. Police say it's up to the district attorney's office to determine if the murder is a hate crime.
Vera House has set up a crisis response number to deal with Teish's death. If you need to talk about the crime and how it's impacting you or a loved one, you can call (315) 468-3260.