COVINGTON, Ky. -- Friends of Zachary Pouncy say they’ll never forget his contagious smile.
Cole Finke said remembering Pouncy’s laugh helps ease the pain of losing him.
"He's always laughing, always smiling. He's one of the funniest kids I know,” Finke said. “He always made you laugh."
Pouncy, 20, was shotat about 2 a.m. Sunday at West 26th Street near Crisnic Court in Covington, police said. Pouncy was pronounced dead at the hospital.
Police arrested 20-year-old Dhezon Gray at the scene. He faces charges of second-degree manslaughter in connection with the fatal shooting.
Finke said he spoke to Pouncy just hours before he was shot.
“He called me at 12:30 a.m., that was the last time,” Finke said. “I talked to his mom this morning. She told me he was gone. I couldn't believe it."
Pouncy’s friend Spencer Kreinst said he also knows the suspected shooter.
"There's nothing that ever pointed to him being like that,” Kreinst said. “I woke up, and I couldn't believe it. I saw his mugshot and I was like, ‘This isn’t true.’ I couldn't believe it.”
But Kreinst said he’s trying to remember the good times in this moment of tragedy.
"You've got to accept it. You have to move on,” Kreinst said. “He lived a great life. He was a great kid. He always did the right thing."
Pouncy was a standout athlete. He played football, basketball and baseball at Holmes and Holy Cross High School.
Covington police have not yet released the details surrounding the shooting.
Gray is being held at the Kenton County Detention Center. He will face a judge for arraignment at 8:30 a.m. Monday.
