Roanoke’s Texas Roadhouse restaurant employees are mourning their young colleague Christian “Chris” Lambert, who suffered a fatal gunshot wound sometime before dawn on Friday.
Lambert, 17, was found in a gravel parking lot atop Catawba Mountain by two hikers who were approaching the Appalachian Trail crossing on Virginia 311.
“That boy became a man while he worked here. He worked his ass off every single day he was here, and he always wanted more,” Mike Jirout, the restaurant’s assistant kitchen manager, said.
“He was a good kid. He definitely deserved more,” Jirout added. Lambert worked as host and busboy.
The bodies of Chris Lambert and 62-year-old Lewis James “Jimmy” Lambert Jr. were found in the McAfee Knob trailhead parking lot in Roanoke County with fatal gunshot wounds.
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A Lambert family member said Tuesday that Jimmy Lambert Jr. was Chris Lambert’s adoptive father.
Just hours before their bodies were found in Roanoke County, the father’s house on Rorer Avenue Southwest in the city caught fire.
The Roanoke Fire-EMS Department said the father was a person of interest in the investigations of that structure fire and one other on 14th Street Southwest.
While Roanoke County police have not publicly identified the fatal incident as a murder-suicide, they said Friday that one of the two victims’ gunshot wounds was self-inflicted.
Jirout said the elder Lambert used to work at the restaurant as a dishwasher before he retired. He described the relationship between the father and son as “short.”
“It didn’t seem like they hated each other, but it just seemed like they didn’t really associate with each other very much,” he said,
Jirout said Lambert was expected to graduate June 8 from Patrick Henry High School in Roanoke. An electronic notification sent to Patrick Henry families on Friday morning confirmed the death of a student.
“We have had a death in our Patriot family. Our thoughts are with all those who are grieving,” Principal Karen Leslie said in the robocall. “I hope you will join me in respecting the privacy of the family as they grieve and in supporting one another.”
A link to resources for parents and guardians was placed on the Roanoke City Public Schools website, and immediate support was made available through Carilion CONNECT at 540-981-8181. Counselors and social workers were also made available to students.
A member of the Lambert family said she and others have plans to receive his diploma on his behalf on graduation day. She said Chris Lambert enjoyed fishing, basketball and time with his dog, Lily.
Jirout said Texas Roadhouse closed early Friday and employees held a vigil for Chris.
“We all lit candles,” Jirout said. “Everybody read a little message on a balloon and set it off into the sky. He’s definitely gonna be missed and remembered here.”
Employees also set up a memorial for Lambert inside the restaurant, with pictures of the teen, candles, flowers and graduation decorations.
Briana Ramos, a former Texas Roadhouse employee, said she and Lambert attended Patrick Henry High School together.
“Chris was one of the kindest people I met. He had no enemies,” Ramos said Tuesday. “Chris was always making people laugh. It was his favorite thing to do. He was supposed to walk the stage with us next week to graduate and he was turning 18 in June. Texas Roadhouse will not be the same without him.”
An online fundraiser organized by Chris Lambert’s family is taking donations to cover his funeral expenses. On Tuesday afternoon, about $3,500 had been raised toward a $5,000 goal.