To his family and friends, Jessie Taylor Jr. was no street punk.

But for hundreds of local residents who saw images the teen posted on social media sites, Taylor certainly looked the part. The images included self-portraits of Taylor holding wads of cash and pistols.

Taylor’s photographs show he sought to portray himself as the epitome of what’s been dubbed a gang lifestyle.

For years and years, street gangs have preyed on young people like Jessie who — as most teenagers do — find themselves searching to feel a sense of belonging.

Jessie may not have been in an actual gang, but unfortunately, he died as if he were, gunned down, allegedly, by two teen acquaintances.

When the teen was killed in late December, many locals were quick to dismiss Taylor’s death as simply a case of getting what was coming to him.

But to do so is to blame a child for making bad judgments.

In the end, all three teens’ lives are changed forever. For Jessie, his life ended before it had truly gotten started.

The other two young men face spending the rest of their lives in jail, or potentially, the death penalty if they’re charged with capital murder.

It’s easy to discount such violence as simply something that we must accept, but we shouldn’t.

Children with guns are unacceptable. Period.

Someone close to the teens involved had to have known of their lifestyles and gun possession. If so, their choice to do nothing and accept this had deadly consequences.

The acceptance of a culture of violence must be stopped.

Let’s use this teen’s death as a call for an end to bloodshed. That starts with ending the worship of a lifestyle that focuses on money and firepower.