Balloons released to honor Rolando 'Landy' Pilson, man killed in Elyria shooting

ELYRIA — Still grieving the loss of their family member and friend, those who were closest to Rolando "Landy" Pilson gathered on Brace Avenue on Saturday evening to reflect and honor him. Pilson, 40, was killed in that same area Jan. 4. Police found him at a private garage on the 100 block of Brace Ave., having suffered fatal injuries from a gunshot. His wife, Penny Pilson, described Landy as "a legend." "He worked on everybody's cars," she said, remembering how he was involved with repairing vehicles for about 25 years, since he was just a teenager. A large group of people attended the balloon release and gathered to remember him, which Penny Pilson agreed is a testament to how many people he left an impression on. He made an impact on "the whole city," she said. He left behind 11 children. Many friends and family members brought blue and black balloons to release, which they let go of and watched float across Brace Avenue, northbound and into the sky. The Elyria Police Department is investigating the case, and no arrests had been announced as of Saturday. Officers became aware of the situation shortly after 6 p.m. Tuesday, when they responded to University Hospitals Elyria Medical Center for a shooting victim. When they arrived, the officers made contact with an adult male who had suffered non-life-threatening injuries from being shot. He was later discharged from the hospital. Through their preliminary investigation, police determined the shooting happened at the garage on Brace Avenue. It was when they arrived at that location that they found Pilson. The Lorain County Coroner's Office was called and responded to the scene. In a news release Wednesday, Elyria Police asked anyone with information about the shooting to contact Detective James Homoki at (440) 326-1215 or homokijm@cityofelyria.org. Contact Dylan Reynolds at (440) 329-7123 or dreynolds@chroniclet.com. Follow him on Twitter @drey1357.