TOLEDO, Ohio — Nearly a year after 24-year-old Zayn Disher was shot and killed in a south Toledo apartment, his family and friends gathered Sunday evening to celebrate what would have been his 25th birthday.

The man convicted in his death is serving time in prison, but for Disher’s loved ones, the grief remains raw. Hundreds of people turned out to honor his memory and support his family.

“This is the worst tragedy that a family can endure, for him to be murdered like he was,” said his aunt, Melissa Disher. “Zayn was my baby before my babies. He meant the world to everybody here. He was tremendously loved by all of us, and losing him — our family will never be the same.”

His parents attended the celebration but were too heartbroken to speak publicly. His grandmother, Tana Disher, said

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