Apopka teen killed in shooting helps save lives with organ donation

APOPKA, Fla. - An Apopka family is working to keep their son's memory alive after he was shot and killed over the weekend.

The family tells FOX 35 that 18-year-old Jacob Farrell made an impact on everyone he met.

"Nobody should ever have to worry about their child being killed in their own backyard," said Missy Farrell, Jacob’s Mother.

On Saturday afternoon, Missy Farrell heard a gunshot outside her home.

Moments later, she was trying to keep her son Jacob alive.

"I was holding my son’s head," Farrell said. "I was trying to wake him up, telling him I love him, don’t you leave me."

The Orange County Sheriff's Office says it's still investigating.

But Jacob Farrell's parents say he was killed by a younger boy he knew well, and who he was trying to help.

"They were always telling him to stay away from him, because he’s trouble, we could see," Missy Farrell said. "Jacob didn’t see that in him. He always saw the good."

The good is what the family wants to remember.

They say Jacob was an organ donor, and his donation helped save four other people. 

"I just want him to be remembered for what he gave in the end," said Michael Farrell, Jacob's father. "Even in death, he was giving back life through God."

"He saved four lives that night, and I couldn’t be more proud of him because that’s what he would have wanted and that’s what he tried to do his whole life," said Kaden Eissler, one of Jacob's close friends.

Friends and family want Jacob remembered for having a big heart, as funny and being able to talk to anyone.

"We don’t want to remember Jacob as him lying in that bed, we want to remember all the good times," Eissler said.

The family is holding a service next Thursday in Apopka and is inviting anyone who wants to join.

On Saturday, December 16, friends are hosting a truck meet in Bushnell for hundreds of people, saying that was one of Jacob's favorite activities.