MILWAUKEE — A mourning family dressed in purple released balloons Saturday night to remember a 25-year-old father.
Latravius Lucas was shot and killed January 21 near 76th and Hampton.
“It took the breath out of my body when I heard that. He was a sweetheart, quiet, laid-back, and he loved his family,” Shanelle Turner, Lucas’ aunt, said through tears.
She was one of dozens of people who packed a nearby parking lot with purple balloons, Lucas’ favorite color, and candles that spelled out his name.
“We shouldn’t have to go through something like this to bring each other together,” his cousins, Shania and Miracle, said. “He wasn’t a random person. He was a son, he was a grandson. He was a gentle person.”
Family said Lucas was a big family man and enjoyed rapping and making others smile. He leaves behind a five-year-old son.
As they hugged one another and prayed, they pleaded for something to change.
“I remember growing up and just being kids, walking out and having fun. I don’t know what transpired, from then to now. But it’s gotten bad. When it comes to guns on the streets, they got to do a swipe out,” Ty Turner, another cousin, explained.
According to the most recent data from the Milwaukee Police Department, there have been eight homicides in 2024. Last year, at the same time, there were nine.
Milwaukee Police said a suspect fired shots that subsequently struck and killed Lucas. While police aren’t clear what led up to the shooting, the family said that the suspect is now in custody.
Even with someone arrested, the family said nothing can bring back their ‘gentle giant’.
“He graduated. He wanted to work. He has a son who is never going to know who his daddy is,” Dee Woodson, Lucas’ stepmom, cried.
The family has created a GoFundMeto help pay for funeral costs.
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