The family of a young father killed in a triple shooting is hopeful someone comes forward with information for police.
“Somebody saw something,” Natasha Smith-Staples told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Monday. “There were too many out there.”
Smith-Staples said her cousin, Robert McKinzie, was dropping off his girlfriend at the Ashley Cascade apartments in southwest Atlanta on Wednesday when shots were fired. McKinzie’s girlfriend and the mother of his children, Sanqueata Anderson, hadn’t stepped out of the SUV yet, Smith-Staples said.
McKinzie, 29, died at the scene after being shot multiple times, according to police. Anderson and her brother were also injured. Anderson remained in the hospital Monday, Smith-Staples said. Her brother has been treated and released.
“We know that they didn’t know the people responsible,” Smith-Staples said. “Police are still trying to piece everything together.”
McKinzie, a California native, moved to the Atlanta area as a teenager with his mother, his cousin said. He was well-liked and always smiling, making it harder for the family to understand why someone would shoot him, Smith-Staples said.
“I really want justice to be served,” she said. “What is going on with these young people? What are they thinking to act like this?”
Atlanta police said a reward of up to $2,000 is being offered for information on the shooting. No one was in custody Monday afternoon. Tipsters are asked to call 404-546-2518 or Crime Stoppers at 404-577-TIPS.
While the family awaits answers, funeral plans are underway for McKinzie, who leaves behind two children, ages 3 and 4.
A GoFundMe page has been created to assist the family. As of Monday afternoon, donors had raised $4,000.
“We can only appreciate our memories, embrace the present and protect the memory of Robert’s life journey by standing strong to ensure that the individuals responsible for his death are rightfully convicted and prosecuted,” the fundraising page states.
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Credit: Ryon Horne, Tyson Horne, Hyosub Shin, Alyssa Pointer and Curtis Compton / AJC
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