A Long Island community is grieving after a young man was killed while working at a CVS on Christmas Day -- a shift he wasn't even scheduled to work.

After celebrating the holiday with his family on Thursday, Edeedson Cine went to the store on Montauk Highway to cover for a co-worker. By 7 p.m. Suffolk County police say officers found him stabbed in the chest. He died at the hospital.

As the suspect faces charges, loved ones are remembering the 23-year-old victim as one of a kind.

"He gave of himself freely, quietly, without expecting anything in return"  

On a quiet Monday evening in Lindenhurst, the melodies soothed the heartache, as a community gathered to remember "Eddy."

"No parents expect to outlive their child, and the suddenness of this loss, the brutal and senseless way he was taken from us, has left the space in our heart that cannot be filled," Edeedson Cine Sr. said.

Eddy's father is a man of faith holding his family together while grieving the loss of his son. Family, friends, and neighbors, drawn together by the young man's killing, lit candles in the town square.

"He was selfless, generous, deeply caring. He gave of himself freely, quietly, without expecting anything in return," Edeedson Cine Sr. said.

They said Eddy's kindness defined his life.

"He was a good person. He didn't deserve one bit of that. He had goals. He was determined," one mourner said.

"Eddy knew he was loved"

The community is now rallying around a family left shattered by sudden loss.

"We are one family and it is very comforting in a very difficult time," said Vanessa Cine, Eddy's aunt.

Even in the face of unimaginable loss, Edeedson Cine Sr. said he's finding the strength to forgive, a message, he says, his son would have wanted to hear.

"We don't harbor any hate or ill will because we believe that love conquers all," Cine Sr. said. "If you're a parent, let your children know they are loved. Eddy knew he was loved."

As investigators continue to search for answers, loved ones say they hope Eddy will be remembered not for how he died, but for how he lived -- as a son, a brother, and a friend.