Family hosts vigil for victim in Aurora double shooting

AURORA, Colo. (KDVR) — It was supposed to be a time of celebration for the Willis family. The sister and daughter of Fred Willis said he had just celebrated his birthday on July 3, and Fourth of July festivities had just wrapped up.

Lucy Dominguez, a Willis family friend, said she heard loud explosions that were not the fireworks that had been going off all night.

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“You can tell the difference between a firework and a gunshot,” she said. “I heard the gunshots right after 12:15 [a.m.] or so.”

Ashley Willis, the daughter, said someone started banging on her door shortly after, and told her what happened and everyone came out but her dad.

“And that’s when I ran over here,” Ashley said.

Aurora Police said two unidentified suspects went inside the apartment, located near Sand Creek Park, and shot the two victims before fleeing. One of the victims is recovering at the hospital.

A day later, the family and close friends held a vigil to honor Fred Willis’ memory.

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“Our idea, just to show what kind of a good guy he was,” Dominguez said.

While Dominguez said the neighborhood is not a stranger to violent crime, Fred Willis’ sister, Rolanda Willis, said she didn’t want this tragedy to fade like the rest.

“We don’t want to just be, you know, another death in the community and nobody recognizes it,” Rolanda said. “Of course, life does go on, but we want people to see that you know, we’ve lost someone, so this is what we’re doing to honor his memory.”

They said they are honoring the memory of an amazing dad and wonderful brother.

“It’s funny because everyone’s like, ‘Your dad’s like your brother’,” Ashley said. “He has my back, like, a hundred percent like, he’s never ever told me ‘no’.”

“I love him and I miss him,” Rolanda said.

The shooting remains an active investigation, and Aurora police had not released information on the suspects as of Saturday night.

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