Jose Gurley Helps Team Win A Championship

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Jose helped his team win the Division Four Super Bowl title. Photo provided by The Enterprise.

When Jose Gurley ran the football for a 60-yard touchdown to help win the Division Four Super Bowl last December, the crowd went wild. There hadn't been that much excitement in West Bridgewater, Mass. since they won the title back in 1991. For those in attendance, that night was one of the biggest triumphs for the town in a long time.

Now, as the team prepares for another season there will be something else pushing them to excel.  This time, the team wants more than a trophy. The Wildcats want to defend their teammate's honor.

At 17, He Was A Star

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Jose went to a school miles away from home to get away from the violence.

At West Bridgewater High School, Jose was a superstar. Not only was he great at football and basketball, but his coaches say he was the fourth fastest runner in Massachusetts. He even qualified for the state meet in various track events.

Jose had quite a few accomplishments, but for those who knew him best,  he was most proud of the fact that he would be the first person in his family to attend college. 

School was a safe place for Jose in West Bridgewater.  He transferred to school there, because he came from a violent part of Brockton where many kids fall prey to gangs and guns. Thanks to a rare opportunity, Jose was given the chance to move from his city school to a smaller more close knit one. His family thought they were giving him the best life they could offer. But, that was only when they sent him away from home.

Violence In Brockton Takes His Life

During summer break, on Sat. July 21, 2007, Jose came back to stay at his mother's house in Brockton. His friends had invited him to a party near his home and he agreed to stop by. Several residents in the neighborhood called police about the noise. When police arrived around 3 a.m. they found Jose lying dead on the ground. He had been gunned down in front of 74 people. There's speculation a gang fight may have broken out at the party, but Jose was not the target. He was the victim of a random act of violence.

The violence in Brockton didn't end there. Just days after Jose's death, there was another shooting at a playground where a 7-year-old and 18-year-old were almost killed. Cops say they are making an effort to take the guns off the streets, but they need your help to find the person who murdered Jose.

Now, the community is taking action as well.  Community activist Ollie Spears is hitting the streets - trying to find witnesses to this crime - and trying to mobilize people to stand up and speak out against the violence.  He believes someone knows who killed Jose, and he believes the community needs to come together to try and stop the gun violence.