The founder of an Atlanta nonprofit dedicated to helping people turn their lives around says the victim of a recent homicide was seeking help.
Sergio Ulysses Collins was found shot to death in his car days after he was reported missing, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution previously reported.
“As soon as we received that missing person’s report, there was an indication that there may have been violence involved,” Atlanta police Capt. Reginald Moorman said.
Shalise Steele-Young, who started Repairer of the Breach International Ministries a decade ago, told Channel 2 Action News she was helping Collins before his family reported him missing.
“He was raised in and out of group homes, the foster care system, family members and he was basically kind of the victim of the socialization of his environment,” Steele-Young said.
Now that Collins is dead, his family and friends are seeking answers.
Collins’ sister, Warrell Collins, remembers the good times she had with her older brother when he laughed, joked and played with his child.
She said the family has felt nothing but pain since Sergio disappeared.
“Just thinking about him every minute, every hour, when its cold outside, to see if he's cold, just wondering, where could he be?” Warrell Collins said.
Steele-Young said Collins' story was about too little, too late.
A GoFundMe account has been set up for Collins' fiance to help with expenses.
“We had the opportunity to talk with him a few months ago and he said he wanted to turn his life around,” Steele-Young said. “He had gotten into some trouble in the streets, but he wanted to turn his life around, he started working.”
But she said Collins would have trouble getting to work sometimes, which made turning his life around hard.
“He would say every time he started to work, his car would break down and they would get a little impatient and discouraged, so he would kind of go back to survival mode and kind of go back to what was familiar,” Steele-Young said.
The family just wants to know who would take away his chance to try again.
“Who would do this to him? Somebody very evil and heartless, don't have no heart,” Warrell Collins said. “I just want him to turn himself in.”
Moorman said the homicide was not random and police do have a suspect identified. They have interviewed some witnesses but are asking more to come forward.
Anyone with information in this case is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 404-577-8477.
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