A man is shot twice, killed and robbed and left to die in the streets by people he thought were his friends.
Witnesses and tipsters are frightened for their lives after the murder of Deonta Wallace last month.
On Monday, his family made a public plea, asking anyone with information to come forward and contact Crime Stoppers Atlanta anonymously.
On the night of July 12, Deonta was shot just outside of an apartment building on Verbena Street NW.
"I miss my brother every day," said Victor Wallace Jr., Deonta's brother.
He's consumed with grief for his younger brother, who had just turned 30 and was the father of a 10-year-old boy.
The neighborhood is home to young families, fighting, they say, the unseen violent crews roaming freely, who kill without consequence and rob without conscience and silence witnesses with threats of death if they talk.
Deonta Wallace’s parents, Veronica and Victor Wallace Sr., said Deonta thought he could befriend the people threatening the neighborhood. His family said he tried to walk away from them, getting out of their car, on the night of July 12.
“They called him back to the car and he said, ‘Oh, Y’all gonna do me like that?’ And they shot. They shot him," his mother said.
“Then they walked over and they shot him again," according to his dad. "Then they went through his belongings, and left him laying there.”
“That was my baby," his mother said." That was our baby.”
Nearby security cameras are broken and the family said witnesses are refusing to tell police anything.
Lt. Andrea Webster of Atlanta Police Homicide Unit said it's all because of fear.
“We’re really grasping at straws to figure out why Deonta Wallace was murdered that night," Lt. Webster said.
Police said it's possible that up to four people were in two cars, but that's all anyone knows so far in the investigation.
“I’m empty on the inside," his dad said. "I got a part of me missing. It’s hard for me every day.”
“For these people not to open up, to say anything, yes, it hurts. It hurts me each and every day," his mother said. “As long as I got breath in my body, this is not gonna be a cold case... Y’all need to speak up.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact Atlanta police, or Crime Stoppers Atlanta, 404-577-TIPS (404-577-8477)
